Pulling the Strings
by TheGuineapig3
Summary: -REWRITE- When Lina decided to help out a mysterious young aristocrat, she could tell that there was more to the child than met the eye. Now because of it, she and her friends have to stop a strange, evil plan with a mysterious source... LG/AZ
1. Rescue!

Hello! For those who were familiar with the first version of this story, this is a rewritten version, because the first version had a lot of problems and holes in it. I tried to fix it as the story went on, but it got to the point that I couldn't take it anymore and just decided to scrap it and start over. Actually, the only thing I really scrapped was the first few chapters, as it is pretty much the same once you get several chapters in... but I re-wrote the ending, so I've had to re-write the beginning. Here is the story again, a little different, but the same plot nonetheless.

The story is somewhat of a companion to my other fanfictions, taking place after 'All That Glitters' and 'Pathos.' But if you haven't read those, then you shouldn't have too many difficulties understanding the story- the plot is completely standalone.

For those new to the story and those returning to it... please enjoy! I don't own any of the Slayers characters or settings, I'm just a fan who enjoys writing fiction stories! ^_^

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><p><strong>1- <strong>**Rescue! Just Who Is This Kid Anyway?**

Lina pressed herself closer to the tree she was hiding behind. From the sound of things, it seemed as though the bandit gang had taken a hostage, and Lina wasn't especially fond of outlaws who used such a tactic. It was cowardly, and involved people who shouldn't have been involved in a dangerous situation. Angrily, the sorceress readied herself for an attack.

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. Hot, muggy days were not Lina's favourite thing about the summer, that was for sure.

It had been rainy for the past week, and it was beginning to weigh on the sorceress' nerves. It was summer, after all! Why couldn't the weather be both hot and sunny, rather than hot and rainy? It didn't make any sense.

Of course, it was all the weather's fault that she was out alone hunting bandits- which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Her apprentice was stuck in bed with a summer cold, and with no mentoring to do, she left Gourry looking after the boy at the inn and went out to see if there were any bandits she could chase.

She didn't _need _the money, as they weren't low on funds, but it was stress relieving to be able to beat someone up once in a while- someone who _wasn't_ your travelling companion, of course. It wasn't raining at the moment anyway, so being outside wasn't a bad thing.

The town they were staying at was a lively merchant city in the southern region of the country of Seyruun. It was filled with characters, both savoury and not. Lina had followed a particularly shady-looking pair from the town, hoping that they would lead her back to a camp with more bandits like themselves.

She had been in luck. They'd led her straight to their comrades, who appeared to be a varied group of bandits, from pickpockets to armed robbers. She'd been following the group for a short while, trying to decide what kinds of valuables they had in their possession, and what the best plan of action might be. However, a commotion began among the group of thieves, and Lina stayed hidden to listen. She pressed herself up against the tree so as not to be discovered.

There was screaming from someone who sounded like a young child. Lina stiffened, her mind flying to her young apprentice for a moment. It was obviously not him, as he was back in bed at the inn, and the voice was feminine, but the thought of the bandits picking on any little kid had Lina infuriated. She wasn't going to let them get away with doing something terrible to a child, that was for sure!

"Heh! We can go ahead and kill the little tyke- all that jewellery she's got will fill our pockets for a long time!"

"No, no! If she's got this much stuff on her right now, just think of how much she must have at home! This chick's family must be loaded! We can get a whole lot more if we hold her for hostage!"

"But if we do that, we might get discovered. You know we're wanted criminals."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Let's just kill the brat."

There was a very audible gasp of horror from the child. It was in this moment that Lina decided she'd had enough of this, and jumped out toward the bandits.

"Hey! You guys! I hate to interrupt, but it sounds like you really need to pick on someone your own size!" she yelled.

The bandits turned and gave her a stare. They were all taller and more muscular than she was, and so it seemed as though the 'same size' comment might have been some sort of joke. But Lina's stern expression showed that it was no joke, and she stood with her hands on her hips, daring the bandits to defy her.

"What do you want?" one of them asked. "Get lost, pipsqueak- or we'll rob you too!"

Lina growled in response. "Pipsqueak?' Did you just dare call me a pipsqueak? I'll show you a pipsqueak! _FIREBALL!_" The bandits jumped out of the way in a frenzy. "That's _Lina Inverse _to you!" she called at them.

They seemed to pause at this statement. "Lina… Inverse…? LINA INVERSE, THE BANDIT KILLER?" they all gasped, huddling together in fear.

"So, you do know my name after all." Lina sighed. "What do you think? Am I still such a pipsqueak?"

"N-no! No! Not at all!" they all stammered.

"Good. Now, I think that-"

"We'll leave the girl alone!" "Yeah, she's all yours!" "We'll get out of here right away!" "We won't get in your way again, we promise!" All the bandits exclaimed, running as fast as they could away.

Lina stood in the dust, trying to regain her composure. They'd all run away so suddenly, she'd hardly had the chance to attack them.

So much for stress relief.

Lina turned to the little girl, who was staring up at her with wide eyes. "M-Miss…" she stammered, her voice painted with a heavy accent. "You are not going to steal my jewellery, are you?"

Lina examined the girl for a moment. She couldn't have been more than 9 or 10 years old, and was quite an attractive young girl, with curly dark-lavender hair that fell to her shoulders, and pale-blue eyes. Despite all this, the thing that drew Lina's attention was her jewellery. The bandits had been right! This girl had tons of it! Necklaces, bracelets, _at least_ one ring on each finger, earrings, a tiara even! And to top it all off, a parasol full of lace and precious stones. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of it, but she had to remind herself that she was dealing with a young child.

"I wouldn't do that to a little kid like you." Lina replied comfortingly, extending a hand to the girl. "I'm not as bad as everyone says." She added under her breath " At least… most of the time."

The girl took Lina's hand and pulled herself to her feet, straightening out the wrinkles in her dress and clutching the elaborately carved handle of her parasol tightly. "Well, I must say, I am in your debt, and am eternally grateful to you, Miss Lina Inverse, the Bandit Killer." She gave a small curtsey.

"Just Lina Inverse would suffice." Lina replied. "But… uh… if you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

"Me?" The girl flashed a smile. "I suppose there is no one here to introduce me except myself. I am sorry. Lady Marielle Emilene Marilla Fitzgerald Arcarti, at your service."

_She's not used to introducing herself? That's a sure sign of wealth, power, or both. _Lina thought to herself. _And that's a heck of a lot of names! I wonder where she's from… that's a pretty odd accent that she has…_

"Well, Lady Arcarti-"

"Please, call me Marielle." the girl chimed, smiling.

"Well, Marielle, you really need to be more careful. If you walk around decked out in jewellery like that, it's no wonder that bandits are going to want to rob you."

"I understand thoroughly." the girl nodded. "But, you must understand, a girl's jewellery is her life."

"Oh… I understand _that_…" Lina murmured. "However… you really ought to get home. Do you know where you come from?"

Marielle looked taken aback. "Why, of course I know where I come from! What kind of forgetful person do you take me for?"

"S-sorry, sorry! I just… I one rescued a boy from some bandits, and he didn't remember where he came from, so I spent about month finding his actual home… in any case, which way is your home? I'll walk you there, if you'd like. No sense in having to walk back by yourself after what happened."

"Indeed." Marielle nodded. "I highly appreciate this gesture of kindness, Miss Lina Inverse."

"Oh, don't mention it!" Lina laughed. "Just…" her expression darkened. "don't go spreading it around. It might be detrimental to my reputation."

"You have my word." Marielle nodded.

Lina took the girl's hand and they set off through the woods back in the way Marielle had directed. Lina was curious about the strange girl, and asked questions as they went.

"So… Lady Marielle… do your parents normally let you go walking out on your own like this?"

Marielle turned to Lina, and replied "Oh, my parents are deceased. I live with my sister."

Lina gasped, not only at the unexpected severity of the girl's situation, but also at the seemingly apathetic countenance with which it was said. It wasn't usual that a young girl was so unfeeling towards their parents' deaths.

"I… I'm so sorry…" Lina breathed. "How old is your sister?"

"She shall be twenty, come November." Marielle replied.

Lina breathed somewhat of a sigh of relief, knowing that the girl lived with an adult, rather than by herself. "Well, still… I'm sorry about your parents."

"Do not worry yourself over it. I never knew my parents. I harbour no grief toward their untimely passing. It is the way of nature." Marielle answered. "You must not trouble yourself over things out of your realm of control. I do not."

"W-well… still…" Lina stammered, unable to find an appropriate response to that statement. She was quiet for the rest of the journey, trying to get things straight about this strange girl. She shouldn't care so much about the background of a girl she'd just met, but something about Marielle had piqued her interest.

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><p>It was a long trek, but they finally reached the gates of a large mansion. The walls were brick and covered in ivy. A large, elaborate, wrought-iron gate stood, with stone lions guarding it. Marielle walked up to the gate, holding her hand up. The lock glowed with a peculiar magical energy, and the gate opened.<p>

"Wow, a gate that responds to a magical signature, huh? that's incredible.

"Oh, it's a normal fixture here at the mansion." Marielle replied, waving her hand contemptuously. "Would you like to stay for tea? I would be happy to have you."

Lina paused, looking at the clouds, unable to tell what time it was. She was rather hungry, but figured that it was probably getting late, and it would take a while to walk back to the town. She was worried about her apprentice, and didn't want to leave Gourry for too long without her there to make sure that he didn't do anything stupid. "Sorry…" she apologised reluctantly, half-wanting to stay for tea, just to find out more about this girl- and get something to eat, of course. "but I have some friends back in town who might be worrying about me. I ought to head back…"

"Oh. I understand. I apologise for troubling you." Marielle replied with a bow. "I do wish I could make it up to you somehow. Is there not anything I could do for you?"

Lina saw the girl's desire to give a token of her appreciation, and her eyes went straight to the girl's jewellery. It… wouldn't be wrong to take some of it as a gift in thanks for her services, would it? After all, Marielle did seem to really want to do something to show her appreciation. And it would make up for the fact that Lina hadn't gotten anything from the bandits…

"Well, I suppose there is one thing." Lina sighed.

"Oh, pray tell!" Marielle exclaimed with a smile.

"Well… I do really like some of that jewellery that you're wearing…"

Marielle seemed to contemplate this for a moment, and replied with some hesitation. "It is jewellery that you want?"

"Just one piece… or maybe two…" Lina replied. "Nothing too fancy, just… a necklace, and perhaps a ring? You already have so many, and… well…"

Marielle gave a small sigh. "Well, you did prevent me from the inconvenience of having to fight off those ruffians myself. I suppose that I could surely spare some of my jewellery in order to properly thank you. After all, I have plans for tonight, and wasting time with such uncouth thugs would have cost me a great deal of time and effort. Here- choose any piece you like. Though, the parasol I cannot give you, I am afraid…"

Lina grinned. "Don't worry! I don't have any use for a fancy umbrella anyway! Now, let's see… what do I want…?" She examined the necklaces carefully. They were mostly elaborate- except for one that seemed to simply be an amethyst pendant on a simple chain. A normal person might not be drawn to it, but Lina's powerful merchant instincts told her that the simplicity most likely hid great value of some kind. Lina picked up the crystal.

"This one…" she murmured. "It's kind of plain."

"Oh, that one? You can have that if you would like. It is supposed to be a magical gem that aids healing, but I have no use for it other than as an accessory." Marielle replied.

"Really? Awesome!" Lina exclaimed. "And can I see your rings too?"

"Um… of course…" Marielle sighed, holding out one hand and then the other. Lina examined them. There were many different kinds… she pointed to a thick gold one with small pink gemstones. "Where did this come from?"

"That ring? I received it as a gift from a Duchess of the Ruvinagald Kingdom. You like it?" Marielle replied with a smile.

Lina shuddered. Ruvinagald Kingdom? That was a ring that she did not want! "Um… I'm not sure…" She found another ring- a simple one, with a deep blue stone that glinted with a star-shaped pattern when the light fell on it. Whatever jeweller had cut it had certainly been skilled. The silver band of the ring was elaborately made, and engraved with beautiful symbols that Lina couldn't read. "This one is gorgeous." Lina said.

"Oh… th-that one…?" Marielle murmured hesitantly. Lina noted the girl's reluctance to give her the ring, and it only added to her interest in it. Was it because it was particularly valuable? Unknowingly, Marielle immediately answered her question. "I do not really mind… but this one is new… I just got it from a friend… I have not had a chance to wear it very many places, but if you have your heart set on it…"

"Well… what about this purple one?" Lina asked, pointing to a light purple ring carved entirely out of a somewhat translucent amethyst stone.

"Oh, that one? That is a nice one too. It would look good on you, I think." Marielle replied.

"Thanks…" Lina murmured, looking back and forth between the purple and blue rings. The purple one was nice in its simplicity- much like the necklace- but the blue one had the beautiful engraving _and_ the masterful gem-cutting. It wasn't a very hard decision for Lina, once she figured that out. "Sorry, but I really like that blue one." Lina said.

"Of course." Marielle sighed, slipping the ring off her finger and giving it to Lina. "You did save me much time and effort, after all. And I have not had this ring long enough to become attached to it. It is yours."

"Well, thanks a bunch! This is amazing of you!" Lina exclaimed happily.

"Of course." Marielle bowed. "Well, if you will excuse me, I must be going. It looks as though it might rain, and my sister would be unhappy if I were to get wet. This parasol is not a very good umbrella, I am afraid…"

"Then you'd better hurry! Bye now! And don't get captured by bandits again!" Lina called after the girl.

"I certainly will be more careful!" Marielle waved, walking through the gate and causing it to close behind her.

Examining her newfound treasures, Lina made her way back to the town where she knew that her friends would be waiting for her.

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><p>"Hey, Lina! Did you find something cool?"<p>

Gourry seemed unfazed by the fact that Lina had been out all day. He was busy eating dinner- without her, Lina noted with annoyance.

"Yeah, I found a few things." she said cryptically, sitting down and grabbing the menu to figure out what she wanted to order- or perhaps the easier question of what she _didn't _want to order.

"Like what?" the little boy at the end of the table asked, looking up from a small bowl of soup.

"I'll tell you all about it, just be patient." Lina chided. "Are you feeling better, Zara?"

"Much better!" the boy answered in his normal, perky tone.

"He slept all day. I think anyone would feel better after getting that much sleep." Gourry commented.

"Well that's a good thing, because we're terribly behind on your lessons." Lina said as she pointed out to the waitress all the sections of the menu from which she'd like several helpings of food. The waitress scampered off, looking as though she wasn't all that enthusiastic about informing the chef that the tall, blonde customer had a girlfriend with a similar appetite.

"So, Lina, what kept you out so long?" Gourry asked after the waitress left.

"The bandits that I found had kidnapped a little girl who lives nearby. I walked her home, to make sure that she was alright."

"How old was she?" Zara asked curiously. "Was she nice?"

"She looked to be about 8 or 9." Lina replied. "And she was... well, I won't say 'nice'… perhaps 'polite' would be a better term."

"Polite but not nice?" Gourry asked, looking as though he were having trouble wrapping his mind around that description. "How does that work?"

Lina paused for a moment. "Well… she was extremely polite, but she had this really cold-hearted feel to her. I asked her about her parents, and she told me outright that they were dead, with no apparent emotional connection to them. She told me that she never really knew them, but still- you'd think that she would have some sort of reaction."

"Was that the only reason you thought she was cold-hearted?"Gourry asked. "There could be lots of reasons for that sort of behaviour."

"But the way she talked, you would think that I had saved her from a minor inconvenience, not saved her life." Lina sighed.

"Maybe she was a sorceress and could have taken on the bandits herself. Could you tell if she had a powerful magic capacity?" Zara suggested.

"Perhaps. I know that she can use some sort of magic, because the gate to her house opened in response to a magical signature that she'd created." Lina replied.

"Her house had a magic gate? How big was the house?" Gourry questioned.

"Oh, you know… kind of normal… for a mansion, I mean."

"Mansion?" both Gourry and Zara gaped at Lina.

"Yeah. I'm thinking she was some sort of aristocrat, judging from her long name. Marielle Something-or-other Arcarti."

"Something-or-other?" Gourry raised an eyebrow.

"The girl had, like, four middle names! You can't expect me to remember them all! It's irrelevant to the situation!"

Zara gasped. "Four middle names? Even Amelia only has two! That's amazing!"

"So, if she was so polite, did she thank you?" Gourry asked.

Lina grinned. "She certainly did."

She pulled the pieces of jewellery out of her pocket, depositing them on the table. Gourry and Zara looked in amazement at them. Lina chuckled to herself as she watched the two grab for the necklace and the ring respectively. An idiot and a little kid- of course they'd be drawn to shiny things.

"What is this, anyway?" Gourry asked, swinging the pendant around.

"Be careful with that." Lina snapped. "It's a necklace. I think it contains some sort of magical energy, but I haven't figured out what it is yet."

"This is a pretty ring. The stone looks like sapphire." Zara commented, turning it around in his hand.

"Yeah, and it has some sort of unintelligible inscription around it. I'd love to figure out what it says." Lina nodded, beginning to go off on a tangent, her excitement growing as she tossed out ideas. "Perhaps it's the incantation to some sort of spell, or even better- an amplification spell that functions similar to my talismans and can power up any kind of spell-"

"It's written in Old Seyruun." Zara interrupted. "I'm not very fluent in the old dialect, but it looks to read something along the lines of 'hearts that love Justice, forever connected' or something similar to that."

"Drat. I thought it was something cool." Lina growled, slightly annoyed.

"You know, that sounds like something Amelia would say." Gourry chuckled.

Lina laughed in response, and the conversation took a light-hearted turn as they remembered funny stories and laughed about various jokes and such. The food Lina ordered arrived, and she ravenously dug into it.

A timid voice came from across the table, grabbing Lina and Gourry's attention.

"E-excuse me. Are you Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev?"

Lina jerked her head around to stare angrily at the person who dared interrupt her meal. "What do you want?" she growled.

"A-a letter came in for you today." the woman stammered, placing the envelope on the table and running away as fast as possible.

"You really scared her." Gourry commented, watching the woman run. "Be a little nicer, Lina."

"Well, she's the one who interrupted my meal." Lina defended. Still, her curiosity got the better of her, and she pushed her fifth plate aside to look at the envelope. "I wonder how they knew where to find us. We haven't exactly been in one place for a while." She carefully pulled the envelope open, and unfolded the letter. Reading it several times, Lina's brow furrowed uncertainly.

"Who's it from?" Gourry asked.

"It's from Phil… he wants us to come to Seyruun City as quickly as possible."

"Why?" Zara asked.

"I don't know. He just says that it's important that we get there as soon as we can." Lina replied, putting down the letter. "I wonder why…"

"Maybe they're throwing us a surprise party." Gourry suggested.

Lina shot him a sceptical glare. "A surprise party for _what_?"

Gourry shrugged. "I don't know. A birthday party, maybe?"

"Whose birthday is it? Not mine." Lina argued, beginning to get back into her dinner.

"Maybe it's mine and I just forgot." Gourry suggested.

Lina and Zara stared at him.

"Gourry, it's not your birthday. I know when your birthday is." Lina stated, attempting to keep calm.

"Oh, okay! So do I!" Gourry nodded with a smile. Lina clenched her teeth and focused her attention on her food.

_Stay calm, Lina. You can't strangle him in front of the kid… _she told herself.

"Maybe there's going to be a wedding or something." said kid suggested.

"For Zel and Amelia?" Lina laughed, tousling the boy's hair. "Not likely. They already set a date, and I doubt that Zel is going to allow himself to be pulled into it any earlier. Besides, the Seyruun family is a stickler for pomp and ceremony. They wouldn't arrange a wedding on such short notice- especially a royal wedding."

"Then what do you think?" Gourry asked

Lina shrugged. "I don't know. But in any case… I guess this means that we need to go to Seyruun."

Gourry nodded. "I guess so."

Zara smiled. "Whatever you say, Lina."

Satisfied, Lina sat back and finished her dinner, looking forward to browsing the dessert menu.

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><p>(AN: Okay… _very _different first chapter. I decided that this might be a better arrangement of the events than what I had originally- I prefer it this way, with Marielle being introduced up front, and then the problem afterword. If you get the chance to review, I'd love to know what you think! But thank you for just reading! ^_^)


	2. A Kidnapping?

Here is the second chapter- changed a lot from the first draft again. I like this one a lot better too. In any case, I don't own the characters, I'm just a fan who's having fun writing fiction! Please, enjoy!

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><p><strong>2- A Kidnapping? Suspicious Characters Abound! <strong>

"Sister dearest, I have returned home!" Marielle called, walking into the large entryway of the mansion.

"Marielle, you have arrived! I was worried." A tall young woman with long, flowing hair rushed into the entryway, looking quite distressed.

"Well, you are to worry no longer. After all, I have arrived relatively unharmed." Marielle announced. She walked (though it looked a bit more like a waltz) into the next room and sat down in an elaborate chair made of red velvet and outlined in gold. She made herself comfortable, handing her parasol to her sister, who immediately put it away and returned.

"I was quite worried when I realised you were late."

"Worry not, for I am unharmed." Marielle smiled. "Jetta, could you be a dear and fetch my notebook for me? I have brainstormed some new hypotheses and simply must write them down."

Jetta bowed slightly, her expression still somewhat troubled. "As you wish, sister dearest."

"And also, while you are there, could you fetch my jewellery box as well? My left pointer finger is feeling a tad bit empty." Marielle continued.

"Did you lose a ring?" Jetta asked.

"No, actually I was threatened by a group of bandits who wanted to kill me for my jewellery. I was afraid that I was going to have to kill them all, but luckily I was saved by a sorceress by the name of Lina Inverse. She was even kind enough to walk me home. It was incredibly courteous of her. I invited her to stay for tea, but she refused."

Jetta frowned. "What a pity. You said her name was Lina Inverse?"

"Yes. Why?"

Jetta shook her head. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of someone else. It really is a shame- I would love to have talked to her."

Marielle nodded. "Well, in any case, as a show of my gratitude, I offered some of my jewellery. She took a pendant, and the new ring that I just recently acquired. I know the magical signature of the pendant, if you really with to have tea with the sorceress. I could track her for you."

"Perhaps that would be a good idea. I should like to have a discussion with her- she could be useful to us if it really is the same 'Lina Inverse' of which I have heard much about." Jetta nodded.

"Then I shall find her, so that you can arrange a teatime for the three of us." Marielle replied. "But not immediately. I must get to work soon. I would like to start experimenting tomorrow, if possible."

"Experimenting? That sounds good. Will you be using the recently acquired test subjects? The girl perhaps?" Jetta questioned.

"Yes, but not the girl." Marielle replied. "It is much too early in the process to test it on someone like her. No, I think I should go for her, ah, roommate." Marielle giggled with a playful smile. "The _cute_ one."

"Ah, of course. Him." Jetta nodded."I shall fetch the notebook and jewellery. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes. Do get me a cup of tea, will you? And can you also call Xellos back for me, please? We need to collaborate again for our next experiment. He needs to be prompt tomorrow morning, and there are some new procedures that I must go over with him, as this experiment will be different from our last ones."

"I shall fetch him immediately." Jetta replied, beginning to leave.

"Oh, no need. I'm here already." The Mazoku's voice called from across the room.

"Ah, you have come just when you are needed, as per usual." Marielle chimed happily. Xellos offered the young girl a smile.

"I'm simply glad that you find my behaviour appropriate, milady." He replied, bowing slightly, adjusting the pair of glasses on his nose, and the collar of his lab coat. "Most people I know disapprove of my habit of appearing without warning."

"You were called for, and that was warning enough." Marielle stated. "We have much information to cover. I assume that you were checking upon the subjects that you acquired for me?"

"Most certainly." he nodded in reply. "They are in good condition. Blissfully ignorant, as they should be."

"I see. That is good. They need not feel any anxiety, as it could be an uncontrolled variable that I do not need to have to deal with." Marielle nodded. "And the jar is...?"

"Prepared, just the way you asked." The man nodded, placing a small jar on the table in the room. It wasn't very large, and looked as though it were made of clay. It was a deep blue-grey colour, with a red gem and insignia on one side. Xellos knew the form of that jar all too well. "Everything is set up the way you instructed me to. I do not want to disappoint you, milady."

Marielle smiled back at him. "Impeccable, as always, Mister Xellos. You never cease to amaze me with your ability to follow orders."

"It's sort of an... inbred thing." Xellos chuckled. "So, you are actually going to use the jar for a real experiment tomorrow- not just another test run?"

"Yes." Marielle nodded. "We understand the jar's inner workings, and the methods it takes to alter a soul's position, entrapping it within the confines of the jar. Now, all we must do, is use that technique to carry out the studies that I have planned." She reached over to the jar, fingering it carefully, a malicious grin spreading across her face. "And soon... all the secrets of the human soul shall open themselves up to me."

Xellos grinned as well, the dark violet eyes behind his glasses flashing a glance at the girl before closing again. "And, as always, I do enjoy a good secret every now and again..."

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><p>Lina felt a knot of worry form in her stomach as she and her companions entered the White Magic city of Seyruun. There was a concerned buzz in the air, and a feeling of panic, that was evident even to people who had just arrived in the city and had no idea what was going on. The swordsman to Lina's right seemed to be oblivious to it all, humming some song to himself cheerfully. Lina's little apprentice could feel it, however, and stuck closer to his mentor, clutching her hand tightly. Lina cringed. For someone with such tiny hands, the boy sure had a killer grip.<p>

At the palace, the three were met with a surprise. Security was extremely tight.

"Identify yourselves." the guard ordered.

"What do you mean, 'identify yourselves?' I'm Lina Inverse!" Lina growled. "I was told to come as soon as I possibly could."

The guard paused. "I was told not to allow anyone access unless I have the king's permission."

Lina scowled. "Well, get us permission as quickly as possible, then. We were told to come as soon as we could."

"Y-yes ma'am! Wait here!" he stammered quickly, rushing toward the inside of the palace.

Gourry leaned down to whisper to Lina. "What's up with the super-tight security?"

Lina shrugged. "That's a good question. You would think they'd recognise us by now."

"Something really bad must have happened."

"That's what I'm thinking too."

It was a few minutes before the guard came back, running as fast as his feet could carry him. He paused to catch his breath, and then continued. "K-King Philionel and Mister Zelgadis Greywords wish to meet with you at once. Please, follow me."

Lina and Gourry exchanged a glance as they followed after the guard. "Phil and Zel?" Gourry questioned.

"That's what I was wondering myself." Lina agreed.

Their footsteps echoed through the palace as they made their way down the hall. The guard motioned toward the door, and Lina walked in, followed by her two companions.

They met Phil and Zelgadis, the former looking frazzled and quite worried on top of it; the latter just as calm and composed as usual.

"Glad to see you could make it." Zelgadis commented.

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Glad we could make it? What kind of greeting is that? No word on what's going on or why we were called here?"

"I was getting there." Zelgadis stated curtly.

Phil had apparently had enough, and threw a punch at the table in the room, surprising everyone- Zelgadis included. "IS THERE NO JUSTICE IN THIS CRUEL WORLD?"

Lina took a step back. "Whoa there, Phil. What are you talking abou-"

"OF ALL THE VILE, ABHORRENT CRIMES IN THIS WORLD, THE KIDNAPPING OF AN INNOCENT GIRL FROM HER OWN HOME IS ALMOST TOO MUCH TO BEAR! "

Lina blinked. "K-kidnapping? What are you talking about?"

Zelgadis turned to her, with a piece of paper in his hand. He held it up with a scowl on his face. "To put it bluntly, Amelia's gone. She was kidnapped and we don't know where she is or who took her."

"That's impossible!" Lina stammered. "Amelia couldn't get kidnapped! She's too powerful for someone to just take her like that!"

Phil closed his eyes, shaking his head sadly. "I'm afraid that she may be too trusting. Amelia has been blessed wind the kindness of an angel, but this also could cause her to be overly trusting of people that might wish her harm. I fear that this could be an explanation for her disappearance."

Lina blinked. "So you think someone tricked Amelia? That's a little harsh. Don't you think it might have been an inside job? Didn't they ask for a ransom of some kind?"

Zelgadis tapped the paper in his hand. "Not at all. In fact, just the opposite. They sent us a letter saying that they had Amelia, and that we shouldn't go after her, lest we face…" he glanced at the paper and scowled again as he re-read the words. "_dire consequences_."

"Whatever that means." Gourry added.

Lina looked back and forth between Zelgadis and Philionel. "Y'know…" she began. "Zel, you're not exactly acting like a guy whose fiancée was just kidnapped. Should I be concerned?"

Zelgadis moved closer to Lina, whispering into her ear. "Did you see Phil's reaction? _One _of us has to think this through rationally, or we'll never get anywhere in rescuing Amelia."

"Can I see the letter?" Lina asked, grabbing for the note.

"Read it all you want." Zelgadis replied, handing it to her. "As far as I can figure, whoever did this is obviously extremely skilled- mainly because Amelia would be a nearly impossible target. Someone wants her for some sort of purpose- but I have no clue as to what the purpose might be."

As Lina read the note over and over several times, Gourry turned back toward Zelgadis and Phil. "How long ago did this happen?"

"About three days ago." Phil replied, sounding as though he were taking great pains in order to gain his composure. "Amelia had to deliver a message to a relative who lived just outside the city. It wasn't a message of major importance, nor had the city seen any danger for a while… so I assumed that Amelia required no guard. She insisted that she knew the way herself, and that she wouldn't come to harm if she were to go alone…" At this point, Phil lost his composure again and sank back down onto the table, murmuring to himself something about an 'unjust and cruel world.'

Zelgadis sighed, seeing that he'd have to continue the story. "We received confirmation that the message was successfully delivered, but Amelia never returned. That note turned up soon afterward, addressed to 'The Seyruun Royal Family."

Gourry leaned over Lina's shoulder. "What does the note say?" he asked.

Lina paused for a moment, and then read it aloud.

"It reads, _To the royal family of Seyruun and anyone else it may concern. Do not worry over the whereabouts of your princess- you should know that she is in our care and will remain so for the duration of our plans. Rest assured that your own lives are not in danger, that is, unless you insist on trying to rescue her. In such case, we shall have no choice but to eliminate you. Do not worry about the princess either- it is much more advantageous to us if she is kept alive, however we may require her presence for an indefinite amount of time. Please accept our kindest wishes, and we wish you a good day."_

Gourry looked positively baffled. "That's a lot of big words."

"Darn right, it is." Lina murmured in response. "Whoever wrote this must be really full of themselves."

Zelgadis took the letter back, frowning at it once more before folding it up again. "So, you can understand our concern."

Lina's face took on an uncharacteristic look of kindness. "Aww, poor Zel. You're really worried, aren't you?"

Zelgadis was quiet for a moment, turning away. "Worried is not a good word. Amelia is a strong person, quite capable of fending for herself. There is no reason why I should be worried about her well-bring."

Lina waved her finger teasingly. "Maybe not… But you are." She smiled sweetly. "You love her."

"That's common knowledge, Lina, and it's getting us nowhere. Will you please be serious and try to figure out what to do? We need a plan." Zelgadis' expression didn't waver.

"Fine, fine." Lina sighed, seeing her teasing getting nowhere in breaking the tension. "Listen, I want to read this letter again. I've got an odd feeling about this."

"What do you mean?" Phil asked.

"This handwriting…" Lina murmured, scrutinizing the letter. "It's really fancy. Plus, the language is overly-proper, but cold and unfeeling… kind of like that girl I met yesterday…"

"What girl?" Zelgadis was suddenly alert.

"I-I'm not suggesting that she's the kidnapper or anything! She was just a kid!" Lina stammered, waving her hands. "It's just… she lived in this big mansion, and had an older sister. I don't want to suspect that older sister without the ever meeting her, but I wonder about that…" She began removing her glove, in order to get the ring she had received from Marielle. "The little girl gave me a ring, which, according to Zara, has an engraving on it in the Old Seyruun dialect. Do you recognise i-"

Lina's sentence was cut off by Phil, who lunged for the ring just as soon as Lina placed it on the table.

"Geez, Phil! Calm down! Are you okay?" Lina was startled by the man's behaviour.

Phil stood up again, looking as though he was about to make another speech. Lina braced herself.

"This belongs to Amelia!" he yelled, his booming voice echoing in the room.

"What?" Lina and Gourry were both on their feet in an instant, staring down at the ring.

"That can't be Amelia's... can it?" Gourry asked.

"Surely there must be some mistake... maybe it's just something that _looks _like one that Amelia has..." Lina added.

"_Looks _like something Amelia has?" Phil boomed. "This is a one-of-a-kind piece that has been in the Seyruun royal family for many generations! There is no other piece out there that _looks _like it!"

"This is Amelia's alright." Zelgadis agreed with a scowl. "I'd say that your suspicions have just been confirmed, Lina."

"What suspicions?" Gourry asked.

Lina groaned. "The suspicions I just mentioned about Marielle and her sister! Of course, we could be wrong. Marielle said that she got the ring from a 'friend,' so it's possible that her friend is the culprit and not her. We need to return to the mansion and talk to her, in order to find out the truth."

"And what's our plan of action?" Zelgadis demanded. "Is an aristocrat like this girl just going to allow us to waltz into her mansion uninvited?"

"No worries- she knows me!" Lina replied. "The other day, when I met her, she invited me in for tea. I can just say that I was returning to see if the invitation was still open. We can discuss the matter over tea, and figure out a peaceful way to solve things. No harm done."

"A wonderful plan, Miss Lina!" Phil exclaimed. "Putting aside your violent ways and moving toward the path of Justice! A discussion rather than a fight is always the best!"

Lina grinned and chuckled. "We're just putting the fight off until a little bit later..." she murmured. "I guess that's our plan, then. We'll stay here for the night, and then tomorrow morning, bright and early, we'll head off to Marielle's mansion to see what we can find out. It's just under a day's journey from here, so it shouldn't be too difficult. If we leave early enough, we can be there by sundown."

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" Zelgadis asked with a sceptical glance.

Lina shrugged. "Do you have a better idea?"

The chimera didn't say anything, indicating that he didn't. "Well, whatever you say about that kid just being a little girl, I'm not sure I'd be so trusting. You know that Mazoku can easily take the forms of young children and be very convincing in their act."

"Of course I know that." Lina replied. "I just... didn't get the feeling that she was spouting lies when I talked to her. It felt like the truth, you know?"

"Hasn't Phibrizzo taught you anything?"

"Well, this girl wasn't Phibrizzo! He's dead!"

"I'm not saying that she was Phibrizzo! I'm just saying that you can't be so quick to judge people as honest or not!"

"Why do you have to be so cynical, Zel? It's annoying!"

"I'm just saying-"

"Quiet down, both of you!" Phil exclaimed, and Lina and Zelgadis both flinched instinctively at his voice. "This fighting is getting us nowhere! If you are so determined to set out tomorrow, then I suggest you get some rest now."

The man was so stern, the group certainly couldn't argue. Lina glanced over at her young apprentice to find that he was already asleep, leaning against the armrest of his chair. Concerned, she placed a hand on the boy's forehead.

"Is he sick?" Phil asked.

"Yesterday he was in bed with a cold, but I thought that he'd gotten better. It feels like his fever is back up, though." Lina answered with a sigh. "We can't take him with us when he's like this."

"You can leave the boy here. The healers here in Seyruun are some of the best. They can deal with little colds easily. You, Mister Gourry, and Zelgadis should all focus on finding where Amelia has been taken."

"Thank you. That's awfully kind of you." Lina nodded, picking up the boy and carrying him with her. "Um... is there a room he can sleep in...?"

"Of course. I'll arrange accommodations for the three of you immediately. A room for the boy, and then another two rooms for you and Mister Gourry."

"Um, er, that's okay, you can..." Lina stammered, but her voice trailed off as Phil turned toward her and looked at her curiously. "N-never mind."

"I think, what she's trying to say is that one room would be enough for the two of us." Gourry spoke up.

"A-as long as there are two beds, of course! We just... don't want to inconvenience you, or anything! That's all!" Lina added hastily. _Darn it, Zel, wipe that smirk off your face!_

"Of course." Phil replied with a sincere smile. "That can certainly be arranged. And you know that it's never an inconvenience to house friends- especially since you are doing all you can for my dear Amelia. Thank you!" He gestured for them to follow him, and Lina began to leave, trailing behind Gourry. Zelgadis gave a small wave to them as they left.

"Sharing a room now, huh?" he murmured.

"Shut up!" Lina retorted, glad to leave him behind for the time being.

* * *

><p>Having Lina around was slightly exasperating, but Zelgadis knew that it was for the best. She was an incredibly skilled fighter, and also rather intelligent. Philionel had done a good job of calling them to help with the search. Perhaps, with Lina and Gourry's help, Amelia would be found quickly, the kidnapper would be punished, and the whole thing would blow over easily.<p>

But, somehow, Zelgadis doubted that. There was something strange about the whole situation.

He sighed as he listened to his companions leaving, trying to think of other things. Lina was sometimes hard to figure out. It wasn't exactly a secret that she and Gourry were an item- why was she still so touchy about it? Maybe it was best not to try getting into the sorceress' head... who knew what kinds of things went through there?

He began tidying up the table, as their conversation and Phil's emotional outbursts had left the tablecloth a mess. It was always that way with Amelia and Phil, going off on an emotional rant every now and again. It made him wonder if he and Amelia were ever going to be able to have nice things, if there was a chance that she was going to get excited and break everything...

His train of thought was momentarily interrupted, as he staggered back, clutching his head in pain. It was a headache, and a bad one at that, which seemed just to have come out of nowhere.

But, it wasn't unexpected.

_Another headache? This has been happening way too often... Once I heard about Amelia, I thought it might have been some sort of premonition... but it hasn't stopped, and I think it's actually getting worse..._

Zelgadis shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling. At least this one hadn't lasted long. That was good. It wasn't like he'd done nothing about it- he'd gone to a couple of healers about it, who couldn't find anything wrong with him at all. Of course, it wasn't like he was going to find a healer who was versed in the health of chimeras. That was the problem.

Satisfied that his sudden headache had subsided to the point that he could bear to walk, he finished his task with the tablecloth, and made his way back to his room and collapsed on the bed. Zelgadis had been sure that he'd never be able to get to sleep that night, but he was out nearly as soon as he had lied down. And a good thing too- it would be a long day tomorrow.

* * *

><p>(AN: Some of the parts were similar, but it's still mostly new. If you've read this far, thank you so much! I do appreciate it a lot! You guys are awesome!)


	3. Welcome!

Here's chapter 3 for you to enjoy! Hmph, I had trouble with the first scene, though. I re-wrote it and re-wrote it, and it's still... uh... let me know what you think. Thanks so much for reading! As always, I don't own anything from Slayers, I'm just a fan who's having some fun writing some fiction! Still, please enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>3- Welcome! Is It a Mansion or a Death-Trap?<strong>

"Lina? Can I ask you a favour?"

Lina perked up at the sound of her companion's voice from across the room. She was busy reading a book, and had thought that he was asleep. "What is it, Gourry? What sort of favour?" When Gourry was asking for favours, it usually wasn't a good sign.

"Well..." he began. "About earlier..." Lina wasn't sure what he meant by 'earlier,' so she tried not to guess, just continuing to listen. "...you probably won't want to do this even if I ask you nicely, and so maybe I'm being stupid for trying, but I just really, really want to know..."

Lina felt her stomach churn and her face heat up. Just what was he going to ask? Couldn't he just ask it already and calm her nerves?

"Can you explain that whole conversation that you, Phil, and Zelgadis had to me? I wasn't really paying attention that much."

Lina groaned. Gourry really needed to get better at asking for favours. He could give someone a heart attack the way he led up to his questions. Feeling more inclined to answer him now that she'd imagined something worse, Lina began.

"Okay, look- it was pretty much about Marielle."

"Who?"

Lina shot a glare at Gourry. "You know- that little girl I rescued yesterday."

"Oh, that girl!" he nodded. "Honestly, Lina, I have trouble remembering the names of people I know. How do you expect me to remember the name of someone I haven't even met?"

Lina shrugged. The idiot made a good point.

"Well, anyway, because of the fact that the ring she gave me belongs to Amelia, we've decided that we need to go back and talk to her. Since she knows me, it probably won't be such a difficult thing to get into the mansion. Hopefully she'll be able to help us get Amelia back."

"What if she's the kidnapper herself?" Gourry asked.

"I doubt that highly, Gourry." Lina replied. "If she wanted Amelia, she'd probably hire someone larger and stronger to do it for her... though I'm not ruling out her being the mastermind behind the whole kidnapping. That's possible."

"But what would she want Amelia for?"

"No idea." Lina sighed. "I didn't get to talk to her long enough to figure out any motives. We'll just have to wait and see what she tells us."

"Alright, then. I like that plan." Gourry nodded. "And I understand it, too. Thank you for explaining it nicely."

"Well, thank you for _listening _nicely. Unlike a certain someone else..." Lina replied. "I swear, Zelgadis is getting on my nerves. He doesn't have to be so rude."

"He's worried about Amelia. Don't be so hard on him. I'd probably be acting differently if something like this happened to you." Gourry commented.

"But Zel's always been like this. It's nothing different." Lina argued. "I just wish he'd lighten up a bit."

"Maybe he'll get better once he and Amelia are married." Gourry suggested. "I've heard that a man's personality completely changes when he gets married."

Lina raised an eyebrow, giving Gourry a sceptical look. "A change in personality, huh? Well, all I can say is that _your _personality had better not change on me when _we _get married. I think I've finally gotten used to you."

"Oh, d-don't worry Lina! I wouldn't do that to you!" Gourry assured her. He paused for a moment, and continued slowly. "But you... you said 'when,' didn't you?"

"I said what?"

"No, you said 'when!" Gourry corrected.

"When?"

"Yes!"

"No, I mean when did I say that?" Lina sighed in exasperation. She was beginning to feel like part of some comedy routine.

"You said... _when _we get married... like it was already decided that it was going to happen..." Gourry seemed uneasy about it, which irritated Lina slightly. What was he getting at?

"Well, of course it's not already decided, but I just kind of figured that I was just waiting around for you to ask me, and that you would eventually." She glared at him, placing her book aside and getting out of bed to walk over to his side of the room. "You _are _going to ask me sometime, right? You're not going to leave me after all this time, are you? Gourry Gabriev, I swear, if you-"

"No, no, no, no, Lina!" Gourry was waving his hands, looking positively stricken by her words. "Of course I'm going to ask you! I've been wanting to ask you for a long time now!"

"Then why haven't you?" Lina demanded.

"Because... I... was afraid you'd say no."

It was Lina's turn to look stricken, sitting down beside her friend. "Why in the four worlds would I say no?"

To her surprise, Gourry actually had an answer to that. "You're always so touchy, never liking affection very much. You don't exactly like to show off our relationship- like today when you were asking for one room, but you didn't really want to say so. I figured that there really isn't a more public statement of affection than a marriage, so maybe you wouldn't want to..." his voice trailed off. "I was just waiting for you to say something."

"You idiot!" Lina hissed irritatedly. "There-now I officially said something!"

"So... we _are _getting married? What does that entail exactly? Settling down somewhere?" Gourry seemed puzzled.

"Marriage is usually associated with settling down in one place and not travelling anymore- but I don't want that. We could just... get a small place of our own, to serve as somewhat of a home base for when we're not travelling." Lina shrugged.

"That sounds good." Gourry nodded. "And maybe we can get some real jobs too." Lina raised an eyebrow at him, so he added "just for when the bandit populations decrease again, of course."

"Sure, why not?" Lina shrugged. "I get the funny feeling that the two of us are never going to change."

"Well, why change what works?" Gourry asked, carefully slipping an arm around Lina's shoulders.

There was a moment of silence, and they simply sat together, not feeling the need to say anything. It was Gourry who finally broke the silence.

"So…" he began. "Are… we engaged now… or something…?"

"You still haven't proposed to me properly. Like getting down on one knee with a ring." Lina replied.

"But I don't have a ring yet." Gourry sighed.

"You're going to get one though, right?" Lina asked.

"Of course! Yes!"

Lina shrugged. "Okay. I guess we're engaged."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

Gourry sat for a moment, not saying anything. Lina stared at him for a moment, and finally waved at him. "Hey, Gourry? You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yes!" he nodded with a smile. "I'm just so happy…"

"Happy that we finally got this crazy mess worked out? Me too." Lina nodded. "Now we can go back to our displays of affection being unspoken, and everything will be fine. No worries."

Gourry didn't seem to agree. "Well… you know… I'm all for that unspoken romance that you like so much… but I wouldn't mind hearing you say 'I love you' every now and again… you'll never get used to it if you don't try it once in a while."

"Why? It's perfectly apparent even when I don't say it."

"I- It would make me happy!" Gourry stammered. "A lot of times when I say it, you just shrug me off! I know you don't mean it like that, but it's still kind of…" His voice trailed off.

Lina sighed. "Alright, fine. I love you too. Are you happy now?"

"Yes." Gourry gave a nod. "I am. Thank you."

"Just get to sleep now, 'kay Romeo?" Lina teased, giving him a soft punch on the arm before standing up and moving back across the room to her own bed. "We've got a long day tomorrow. It's a full day's journey to Marielle's mansion, so we need to be up before the sun to make a start on it."

"Got it." Gourry nodded, settling down to sleep. "Good night, Lina. I love you."

"Good night, Gourry. I already said that."

Gourry chuckled to himself as he fell asleep, murmuring something about Lina being 'cute when she was so stubborn.' She sighed indignantly.

"I'm not stubborn…"

* * *

><p>"So… now that we're here… how exactly do we bring that fact to their attention? Is there a door we can knock on, or something?" Gourry looked around puzzledly.<p>

The walls surrounding the mansion stretched high into the air. They could have been scaled with a Levitation spell, of course, but that would be sneaking in, and they were there to chat, not to pick a fight.

"We'd better figure out some way to get in. It's getting dark." Zelgadis commented. "We could always just break in and look around. There's bound to be some information in there, even if we don't talk to the people of the house."

"Nice try, Zel, but we're not planning on getting into any major fights right now." Lina chided, though she had to admit, she'd have loved to sneak into the mansion and seen what kinds of treasures it held. "Maybe this gate has some sort of spell on it that allows us to get in… I mean, that little girl opened it with her magic before…" Lina replied, looking up at the gate. "Let's see…"

She placed her hand on the large, ornate lock that Marielle had opened the other day. In response to her touch, it lit up with a pale green glow. Lina jerked her hand back, not sure what she'd done. A voice sounding as though it were coming from within the gate itself spoke to the group.

"_State your name and your business._" It commanded.

Lina shuffled back some more. She glanced around at Zelgadis and Gourry, but neither seemed willing to speak up. She sighed and began.

"I-I'm Lina Inverse… I met Lady Marielle a few days ago, and I wish to speak with her on an important matter… uh…" her voice trailed off, hoping that was business enough for them to be let in. There was a long moment of silence, and then the voice returned.

"_Please be patient for a few minutes. The lady of the house wishes to welcome you in person._"

Lina blinked. "O-Okay…" she stammered. "Cool! That's fine! We'll just wait here, then!"

"Are you sure about this, Lina?" Zelgadis asked. "Something about this seems suspicious. Why would she be so eager to welcome someone she'd only met once before?"

"I don't know." Lina shrugged. "Maybe she got home the other day, and said to herself 'that was an amazing sorceress I met today. I want to be just like her when I grow up.' And then she began wishing for me to come back."

"When she grows up?" Zelgadis murmured. "Are you trying to imply that _you _are an adult?"

"What do you mean? Of course I'm an adult!" Lina snapped indignantly. "I am twenty-one years old! That's about as grown-up as you can get!"

"Only a child refers to an adult as a 'grown-up." Zelgadis retorted.

Lina ground her teeth. "And how old do you think _you _are?"

"Older than you are. I know that much."

Lina groaned. "Well, age might not have a lot to do with it. I mean, look at Gourry- how old are you, Gourry?"

Gourry seemed to think it over. "I'm uh… twenty… twenty… twenty-something… let me think…"

"See that? Gourry's older than I am, but I wouldn't call him a grown-up." Lina gestured towards him.

"Why not?" Gourry asked, looking disappointed. "I can remember- just let me think… it's…"

"Forget it…" Lina muttered under her breath. "Just try to be at least a little competent during this conversation, alright? Rule of thumb- if you don't have anything intelligent to say, don't say anything at all."

"Got it." Gourry nodded. He looked up and jumped back as the large gate began to open. Lina and Zelgadis turned around and stood as though at attention. Within the gate, they could see an ornate garden, full of lush greenery and fountains. The little girl that Lina had met the other day stood there, smiling at the newcomers. She was dressed differently from the time before, still in a stylish getup, but one that looked much more functional. An older girl who looked similar to the younger one, stood by Marielle's side, her pose and expression very static.

"Miss Lina Inverse!" the girl exclaimed, rushing toward the sorceress and grabbing her hands tightly. "Oh, what a pleasure it is to see you again! I am so glad that you have returned!"

"Likewise, Lady Marielle." Lina gave a slight nod. "I apologise for the intrusion, but I needed to come and speak to you about something."

"Please, do not apologise! I was planning on inviting you in for tea sometime soon anyway. My sister wished to talk to you about something as well." Marielle glanced at the woman standing behind her. "Jetta, will you go prepare a table out by the rose bushes for our guests? Set five places- no, six, actually. Invite my lab assistant as well. I am just so giddy over the recent successes, that I simply must share my results with someone, and I cannot assume full credit. Let the nice man know that he is to report in fine clothing , appropriate for a formal tea party."

Lina blinked as the older girl nodded and left. "Lab assistant? Results? So... you're like... a scientist?"

Marielle bowed modestly, though her words were not modest at all. "Of the highest calibre, my dear Miss Lina." She stood up and looked at Gourry and Zelgadis. "And who are these fine young men whom you've brought with you?"

"Oh... uh... this is Gourry Gabriev and Zelgadis Greywords." Lina gestured to the men. "They're... uh... friends of mine."

"A pleasure to meet you." Marielle bowed and approached them to shake hands. She took Zelgadis' hand, shaking it in slight trepidation. "I must say, you are an... _interesting _specimen, Mister Greywords. Your expression seems to indicate that you are deeply troubled about something. A tea party is no place for troubles, however, so I ask that you leave them behind. We wish to make this meeting as enjoyable as possible."

"R-right..." Zelgadis murmured.

"And Mister Gabriev..." Marielle continued, shaking Gourry's hand. Lina found it almost comical, what a difference there was between Marielle's small, dainty hands, and Gourry's large ones. The girl looked up at him, analysing his facial features as she had done with Zelgadis. "Your countenance is troubled as well, but it appears as though the root is not as deep." She paused. "Let me guess; you are Miss Lina's lover, and you are dissatisfied with the lack of familiarity with which she introduced you. Is that right?"

Lina's face went red, and she was unable to stammer out a response before a baffled Gourry replied with "How did you know?"

Marielle let go of his hand with a slight giggle. "Oh, do not worry so much, Mister Gabriev. Even if she did not express her attachment to you in words, the subtle nuances in her voice when she said your name spoke volumes."

"Really? I never knew that." Marielle's observation made Gourry smile, which was all the more exasperating for Lina.

"Now that we've set our troubles aside, please, follow me into the back gardens. Late evening is a lovely time for tea, and the elegant natural lighting on the blooming rose bushes is absolutely exquisite."

"Thank you." Lina nodded, trying to drive the blush from her face. She followed the group as Marielle led them through the mansion, on the way to this makeshift tea party that seemed to have been more anticipated than it should have been.

* * *

><p>Marielle had been right- the small area of the garden surrounded by rose bushes was very lovely, especially in the low lighting of evening. By the time they arrived, a large, rectangular table had been set up in the middle of the area, with six chairs set around it. Marielle took a seat at the end of the table, gesturing for her guests to join her. Lina and Gourry sat to her right, and Zelgadis to her left. In a matter of minutes, a group of servants brought out a large pot of tea, along with a variety of small cookies and pastries. Lina and Gourry eyed them hungrily, but a glare from Zelgadis kept them from diving recklessly into the food. The servants poured tea for everyone, and then left the mistress and her guests on their own.<p>

Zelgadis stared into his tea cup, as though he were trying to figure out what was in it.

"Please, Mister Greywords, do not worry so." Marielle chided with a slight smile. "It is just Darjeeling."

"Right..." Zelgadis murmured. "Anyway... as we were planning to talk about, I wanted to ask you a few things."

"Ask away." Marielle nodded. "This is the discussion you were talking about, is it not, Miss Lina?"

"Yes." Lina nodded. "I think it's better if I let Zelgadis do the talking. He has a few questions he would like to ask."

"Fine, then. But, may I ask, what sort of questions do you have that you believe I could answer?" Marielle seemed curious.

"It's about this." Zelgadis replied, digging out the ring from in his pocket. He placed it on the table, keeping his hand near it protectively. "I want to know where you got it."

"That ring? The one I gave to Miss Lina?" Marielle asked. "Why, that was a gift from a friend."

"And who is this friend?" Lina asked.

"She is..." Marielle paused. "A young woman... about your age... I believe she's a princess of some sort..."

"Amelia?" Zelgadis and Lina both demanded.

"Why, yes, I believe that is her name. Why? Do you know her?"

"Know her?" Lina gasped, jumping up from the table. "She's one of our closest friends! Zelgadis here is engaged to her, for goodness sakes'!"

Zelgadis said nothing for a moment, glaring at Marielle. "You said that you received it as a 'gift' from Amelia? What exactly does the word 'gift' entail?" he asked. "Forgive me for being suspicious, but this is one of Amelia's most prized possessions. She wouldn't give it away to just anyone for no reason."

"Oh... well... perhaps it did take a bit of threatening..." Marielle murmured softly. "But it is not of any matter. If my experiment is a success, then she will have no need for things such as her jewellery anyway."

"What? What does that mean?" Lina growled. "What experiment?"

"Why, the experiment that she is aiding me with, of course." Marielle replied, waving her hand about as though it wasn't a big deal. "I have had great success performing my experiments on animals, but the ultimate goal is one that should benefit humans. Therefore, I am in need of humans on which to test my hypotheses."

"And you're using Amelia?" Zelgadis demanded.

"Why not?" Marielle was still unfazed.

"Forget the fact that she's our friend- using human test subjects for any kind of research is forbidden by the Sorcerers' Guild!" Lina added. "If you're attempting such risky experiments, they could have you arrested!"

"They have tried." Marielle responded curtly. "But, every member of the Sorcerers' Guild who ventured into the mansion has never been heard from again." She said it bluntly, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes, as she continued threateningly.

"And I would hate for such a fate to befall you lovely people."

* * *

><p>(AN: …anyone notice the Abbott and Costello reference? Um, anyway, I like this version of their meeting with Marielle better… it makes more sense, anyway. Let me know what you think! Thanks so much for reading! ^_^)


	4. Escape!

Here is chapter 4- a little later than I wanted, but I was short on time! Sorry! As usual, I don't own anything from Slayers; I'm just a fan having some fun writing fiction. ^_^

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><p><strong>4- Escape! Getting in is easier than getting out!<strong>

"Every member of the Sorcerers' Guild who ventured into the mansion has never been heard from again." Marielle said it bluntly, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes, as she continued threateningly.

"And I would hate for such a fate to befall you lovely people."

"I get it..." Lina murmured. "So you are performing illegal activities and you're getting rid of the evidence. We're certainly not here to arrest you, but I must ask, if you're trying not to get arrested, why kidnap a princess? That's kind of screaming to get caught, plus you're adding more crimes to your criminal record."

"But this Amelia has all the necessary requirements that I need in a test subject." Marielle sniffed, sounding indignant. "I cannot perform such important experiments on just any riff-raff that I pick up off the street."

"Then what exactly are these 'experiments' that you're talking about?" Lina demanded. She paused quickly to turn around and slap the hand of the person sitting next to her. "Gourry, put that cookie down. We can't be sure what she's put in them."

"Are you suggesting that I would attempt to poison you? That is quite a vulgar act, and I would never dispatch an enemy through such low means." Marielle scolded. "And I do not consider you to be enemies yet. I wanted to ask you to this tea party in order to obtain knowledge about your connection with the famed Red Priest."

"You mean Rezo?" Zelgadis asked. "What do you know about Rezo?"

"Obviously not as much as the lot of you. So tell me about him, please." Marielle smiled, as though none of the previous conversation had happened.

"Why should we? You never answered our question of what your experiments were about!" Lina pointed out.

"Yeah, when Lina asks questions, you really ought to answer them." Gourry nodded, inching his hand slowly toward to cookies again. Lina slapped it away.

"Don't make this worse than it is, Gourry." She scolded.

"I do not understand why you all are making such a big deal over this." Marielle sighed. "I am not here to harm you- I wish to cooperate. We can work together."

"Together? So you'll give Amelia back if we give you this information?" Zelgadis demanded. He stood up and looked around. "Where is she?"

"Silly man, I cannot give you the girl because I still need her for important tasks. And you would never be able to find her even if you did search. The mansion is enchanted- it is not limited to the physical boundaries that you see before you. Without knowledge of the exact layout, you would wander aimlessly until you... ah..." she paused, adding emphasis to her last words. "...mysteriously vanished."

"And from here, you are the only one of us who knows the way out of the mansion, is that right?" Lina raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess- we're also trapped here until we give you the information you wanted from us?"

"You make it sound like a horrible thing. All I ask from you is a bit of information, and then I shall let you leave in peace. I do not see why it is such a difficult prospect for you to understand."

"Um..." Gourry began. "I'm not exactly the brightest guy here, but even I understand that this isn't exactly a plan that benefits us. You're the only one getting something out of it, and we're being threatened."

"If even Gourry understands it, then it must be pretty obvious." Lina added. "You have no right to push us around like this."

"I believe," Marielle began, standing up, that you people have no idea what you are dealing with."

"Dealing with?" Lina demanded. "You have no idea what _you're _dealing with, little girl!"

By this time, the whole group was standing, Lina and her friends glaring at Marielle, who still seemed rather distant. "You think you can even touch me?" she giggled mercilessly. "You are a funny group. That is the exact same outlook that all the officials from the Sorcerers' Guild had, and you understand what became of them."

"Oh really?" Lina asked. "Did you use them as subjects just like you're planning to use Amelia?"

"No, silly." Marielle replied with a slight growl. "They would never work as subjects. There was nothing to be done but to dispose of them... and I'm terribly afraid that is what I may have to do with the lot of you."

"Dispose of us? Like you'll get the chance!" Lina growled, finally losing restraint. "FIREBALL!"

The attack spell was accurate, but Marielle deflected it with a simple wave of her hand. "Honestly?" she asked, sounding almost irritated. "That is one of the most basic of the Shamanistic spells. I would have expected the one who defeated the great Red Priest to be more skilled than that."

"Of course not. I was just afraid to hit a little girl like you with one of my powerful spells." Lina scoffed, trying not to sound too surprised. The girl wasn't exactly a lightweight either, being able to toss aside a Fireball like it was a mosquito buzzing around her head. "FLARE ARROW!"

That attack was deflected as well. Marielle at least appeared to be content playing defence, but it seemed near impenetrable. Lina sighed, feeling as though there might be no choice. "You asked for this..." she murmured. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson-"

"Lina, stop!" Zelgadis grabbed her arm. "Think this through first, will you? She's holding Amelia hostage somewhere in this mansion, and we don't know where! What are the dangers of shooting off a Dragon Slave here?"

Lina grimaced. "Crap, I didn't think about that."

"Maybe now you will be a little more vigilant regarding your situation." Marielle chimed. "Simply put, you are in a bad situation. Surrender your information to me, and I will allow you to leave without a fight."

"And what about Amelia?" Gourry asked. "Will you let her go too?"

"Of course not. We have already been through this." Marielle sighed irritatedly. "You were right when you said that you are not the brightest, I see."

"Hey, now! That's uncalled for!" Lina growled. "Gourry's welcome to make comments about his own shortcomings, but when it comes to other people, I'm the only one who can insult him and get away with it."

"Oh?" Marielle raised an eyebrow. "Being a little hypocritical there, are we not?"

"No! Because when I insult him, I do it out of love." the sorceress defended. "At least... sometimes."

Gourry smiled. "Aww, Lina, you're so sweet."

"This conversation is getting us nowhere!" Zelgadis pointed out. "Are we going to fight or not?"

"Oh, I should hope not! I haven't even gotten any tea yet!"

A pleasant voice joined the conversation, sounding slightly annoyed that the participants of the tea party were fighting rather than happily eating cookies and drinking their tea. Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis stared for a second in surprise. The voice and its owner were all too familiar. He wasn't exactly expected, but seeing him appear out of nowhere wasn't exactly extraordinary either. However, he was accompanied by a second familiar face that was probably a lot higher on the list of people they had never expected to see here.

"Xellos!" Zelgadis growled.

"And Pokota?" Lina added with a gasp. "What the heck are you two doing here?"

The small stuffed animal sat, perched on Xellos' head as he often did to Lina and her friends when they were travelling around. He didn't seem to be very responsive, as though he were unconscious- though his eyes were open. He hung limply in Xellos' grip as the Mazoku removed him from his head and placed him on the table.

"Mister Xellos? You know these people?" Marielle questioned in surprise.

"Oh, we might have become acquainted once or twice in passing." Xellos shrugged, sitting himself down at the table and grabbing the teapot to pour himself some tea.

"Oh please, do not trouble yourself so. Poko-chan, could you pour our dear Mister Xellos some tea? Do get some for Jetta too, while you are at it."

Pokota, having been unresponsive up to this point, perked up slightly and grabbed the teapot, pouring a cup of tea for Xellos and Marielle's sister, who had followed silently behind them.

"H-hey, hey, hey! What gives? Weren't we fighting just a second ago? What's going on? What have you done to Pokota?" Lina felt utterly confused.

"Take a seat, Miss Lina, Mister Gourry, Mister Zelgadis." Xellos waved to them, motioning toward the table. "It is too lovely an evening to spend fighting amongst ourselves. Mister Pokota's condition will be explained shortly, if you will calm down and listen."

"Oh, please!" Zelgadis scoffed. "When do you ever explain anything? What about Amelia?" He paused for a moment, eyeing Xellos suspiciously. "...it was you, wasn't it? YOU took Amelia!"

"Took her? I wouldn't say that." Xellos pressed his lips to the side of his teacup, an amused expression crossing his face. "I may have just... asked for her help..."

"Her HELP?" Zelgadis had his sword unsheathed, and was already lunging toward Xellos when Lina grabbed his arm to stop him, knocking over the teapot and spilling the steaming liquid all over the white linens.

Marielle shrieked. "My tablecloth!"

"Zelgadis, calm down!" Lina demanded. "Please! If Xellos is willing to share information, let him talk! He obviously knows things that we don't!"

Zelgadis put away his sword, glaring in Lina's direction.

"Have you people no manners? Look at my tablecloth!" Marielle repeated. "It is ruined! This is unacceptable!"

"I'll clean it. Don't worry so much, milady." Xellos stated. "Please, just calm yourself and allow your guests to continue the conversation."

Marielle scowled, but said nothing more, sitting down and nodding, giving Xellos permission to continue the conversation. She took Pokota's now limp form in her arms, clutching him like a simple stuffed toy- which he quite resembled.

"Xellos," Zelgadis began, obviously unhappy with the need to be cordial to the Mazoku beside him. "What do you mean when you said that you 'asked for Amelia's help? And will someone _please _tell me whether or not that's Pokota? He's really creeping me out!"

"Yes, that is Pokota, and yes, I did ask for Amelia's help." Xellos replied. "I came across her a few days ago when she was on her way back home from running an errand. I told her that I was currently employed to aid a young girl who needed Amelia's help, and could not get such help from anyone else. Therefore, with a little convincing, I persuaded her to aid my mistress' project."

"So you pretty much lied to her?" Lina raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't lie." Xellos replied, sounding slightly annoyed. "What I told her was the complete truth. I am in the employment of Lady Marielle, and Amelia is the sort of person that Lady Marielle requires to test her hypothesis. I did not tell a single lie."

"And you conned Pokota into this project too?" Lina asked.

"Again, I repeat, I did not con anyone. I simply asked for their help, and they gave it to me."

"Why?" Gourry asked, looking as confused as ever.

"Because they're kind and caring people, who would never allow a poor girl to be kept away from achieving her dream."

"But did they know that dream is kind of unethical and illegal?" Lina demanded. "She's a criminal!

"Ethics? You're talking to someone like me about ethics?" Xellos laughed.

"He has a point, Lina." Zelgadis added.

"Well, what's the deal with Pokota, then?" Lina motioned toward the stuffed animal that Marielle was still holding.

"Oh, he's alright." Xellos nodded. "But he's not exactly himself. That thing that Lady Marielle is holding is simply a shell of Pokota's body. He isn't in possession of his soul at the moment, which allows her to control him at will."

"His soul?" Lina gasped. "What did you do with his soul?"

"If I may interject, it is perfectly safe." Marielle spoke up. "Mister Xellos, you brought the jar, correct?"

"Of course." Xellos reached into a bag that was slung over his shoulder and pulled out the jar. He placed it on the table with an untiring smile, waiting for the reactions of the people at the table.

Lina stared for a moment, her mouth hanging open slightly and her eyes wide. Zelgadis stiffened and sat up, suddenly more attentive. Even Gourry seemed to be affected, his slightly glazed eyes suddenly taking on more of an alertness.

"Th-the Hellmaster's Jar!" Lina exclaimed loudly.

"The what?" Marielle cocked her head to the side.

"That's a different name for the jar." Xellos replied. "It's the name that these nice people know it by- but it's the same thing, basically."

"I see..." Marielle's voice was low, seeming unsure about her guests' reactions to the small piece of pottery. "So... the three of you know what this jar does, correct?"

"Yes, of course we do!" Lina replied hastily, grabbing the jar away from Xellos. Marielle didn't like the sorceress grabbing her jar, and jumped up, placing Pokota back down on the table.

"Do not touch that! Give it back to me!"

"Hey! I can touch it if I want to!" Lina yelled back as Marielle tried to grab the jar from her. Lina attempted to crush the jar in her hands, thinking that she might be able to free Pokota, but it was a foolish idea, considering that the jar was not easily broken, and Marielle was currently trying to wrench it from Lina's grip. Lina's fingers managed to grip the jewel on the side and pulled with a strong force, causing the accentuation to pop off the side of the jar and fall into Lina's hands. Marielle scowled at the sorceress, and held the jar close.

"Do you have any idea as to what would have happened if you had broken this jar?" she growled.

"Why do you think I was trying to break it?" Lina snarled in reply. "You can't just take people's souls from them and store them in jars! Do you have any idea how wrong that is?"

"It is not as though I was going to harm him." Marielle frowned, crossing her arms indignantly. "I was simply planning to study the effects of the soul's absence in a body, and the effects of reuniting it with another. It is a valid experiment, and an important one at that."

"Important?" Zelgadis demanded. "I expect you're going to do something like that to Amelia?"

"No, silly. My plans for the girl are much more complicated than that." Marielle replied, waving her hand dismissively.

"That's it! I'm not taking this anymore!" Lina jumped up, still clutching the red jewel in her hand. "BOMB DI WIND!"

The blast of air surrounded the table and blew around the courtyard, sending the table, everything on it, and the people spinning around the area. Marielle shrieked again, but as the debris cleared, Lina could see that the girl had set up a magical barrier, leaving not a hair or ribbon on her out of place.

"My roses!" the girl yelled, seeing the destruction to her garden. "They were just blooming too! Mister Xellos, do something about these people at once!"

"Do something?" Xellos, as well, seemed unfazed by the attack. "What sort of something?"

"Get them out of my house at once! I cannot stand to look at them any longer! Your judgement has never failed me in the many years that we have been working together. Surely you can do something about these fools! I want them gone from here! I shall deal more with them later, I just want them removed from my house at once!"

Lina stood, ready to fire another attack, unsure of what Xellos would do. She didn't really want to fight him, but if he attacked, what choice did they have?

Xellos seemed to sigh in annoyance. "You just said that you wanted them out of the house, right?"

"Yes, yes! I shall deal with them further at a later time, but I cannot have them ruining my house any more than it already is! Away with them! All of them!"

"Fine, fine. Whatever you say, Lady Marielle." Xellos nodded, snapping his fingers. "I am at your full command."

Lina was sure she heard him add a whispered "...for _now_, anyway..." before her world went black.

* * *

><p>After a short time, a group of servants who had heard the commotion in the garden came to aid with the cleaning-up of the area. Marielle was giving them instructions when Xellos arrived back.<p>

"There you are, Lady Marielle. The people have been taken away from the mansion. Not very far, of course, since you mentioned something about dealing with them at a later time, but they should be unconscious for a while at least, and they are all separated, so they will have a difficult time trying to launch an attack to get back into your mansion."

"Very good. Thank you, Mister Xellos." Marielle sighed. "I did not want to do this, but I fear I may have no choice. Jetta, send for the captain of the mansion guards. I have a task for her- to get rid of those troublesome people."

"B-but Marielle..." Jetta protested weakly. "If you kill Lina Inverse and her companions, then we may love a valuable source of knowledge that could allow us to-"

"No, Jetta. My mind is made up. Have you not seem the damage to the roses?"

"But the roses can be replaced, and the invaluable knowledge and experiences of that sorceress cannot-"

"No, Jetta! They are to die, and that is final!" Marielle's words were harsh and unwavering. "My project must continue _unhindered_."

Jetta's bottom lip seemed to tremble for a moment with a whimper as she stood, staring at her sister, but she sighed a long, plaintive sigh and nodded her head. "As you wish. I will send for the guard."

"Good." Marielle gave a nod. "Opposition such as those people should be eliminated before they can cause trouble."

Xellos raised his hand slightly, looking down at his diminutive employer with an uncomfortable expression. "Excuse me, milady, but may I request the rest of the night off?"

Marielle gave him a puzzled look. "I had not told you of any duties that I needed you to attend to, so of course you may have the night off. May I ask why?"

"Oh, just some personal things that have come up that I need to attend to. I'll be back tomorrow morning, I give you my word."

Marielle shrugged her shoulders. "Fair enough." She replied, and then turned to give some instructions to a set of servants who had come to help clean up the garden.

Xellos turned away from the scene, his mind going over all that had just happened.

_Now that Lina and her friends have gotten involved, it seems like Lord Beastmaster's hunch is finally going to be put to the test after all these years. As much as I trust that the incompetent guard captain can't do anything to them, I'd better keep an eye on things, just to be on the safe side. If I allowed the key players in this game to be lost, I can't think of what kinds of punishments Lord Beastmaster would have in store for me..._

And, with that, he disappeared from the courtyard, away from the view of any of the humans. One servant caught sight of the man disappearing in the blink of an eye, but she simply stood for a moment in surprised shock, and then reached to clean her glasses, since they obviously needed it.

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><p>(AN: I feel like this chapter was a little... uh... rushed, would you say? I don't know. It was kind of an awkward situation. Not nearly as bad as my last scenario, though, so at least I feel like it's better. Anyway, thank you so much for reading! You guys are the best! ^_^)


	5. Hunted!

Chapter 5! Yay! I don't know why I feel the need to announce what every chapter is... you can see for yourself right at the top of the page... oh well... I don't own anything from Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Enjoy! ^_^

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><p><strong>5- Hunted! Where's a good assassin when you need one?<strong>

When Lina finally came to, she was surrounded by darkness. She jerked awake, looking around in shock. "What in the world...?" she murmured to herself. She was surrounded by thick forest, and by the looks of the sky, the sun had disappeared below the horizon quite a while ago. Besides that, she was alone. No sign of Gourry or Zelgadis.

"Hello?" she called. "Guys? Guys?"

"_Lina? Is that you_?"

Lina blinked. The voice she'd gotten in reply sounded slightly muffled, and it wasn't Gourry's or Zelgadis'. She turned around several times, trying to find the voice's source.

"Hello? I'm Lina. Who are you...?"

"_What do you mean 'who are you?' It's me_!"

Baffled, Lina pulled the small, red jewel out of her pocket. It was the one that she had stolen from Marielle's house. "...Pokota?" she murmured, looking at it scrutinizingly. "Is that you?"

"_Of course it's me. Hmph, and you say Gourry is a little bit slow..." _

Lina was too shocked to be affected by the insult. "P-Pokota... you're..."

"_In a jar? Yeah, that's kind of difficult not to notice_."

"But... but... I don't even have the jar."

"_What do you mean, you don't have the jar? How am I even talking to you if you don't?"_

"I have the red crystal from the side of the jar. Maybe that's what is acting as the point of communication."

"_You think_?" Pokota replied.

"Maybe... jars can't talk, so for a link to be established between the soul within the jar and the outside world, a separate spell has to be used. I guess that spell is channelled into the jewel, similar to the way a magical jewel can be used for tracking, or to aid a vision spell."

"_I can... still hear something else, though. In the background, it's like another place._.."

"It must be because your consciousness is still in the jar, so even though the method of communication is with me, then you will be able to sense the surroundings of the jar. That must be it!" Lina exclaimed. "I get it!"

"_Well, I'm glad one of us does._" Pokota sighed. "_It's kind of tricky, having to focus on what you're saying rather than what's going on around the jar that I'm in._"

Lina cringed at the thought. "I can imagine that would be difficult. Good thing it isn't Gourry- he'd never be able to focus if he were in that situation."

"_Oh, I wouldn't underestimate him. I doubt he'd have much trouble blocking out the rest of the world and paying attention to nothing but you. He does it already._"

"Wh-what?" Lina laughed nervously. "No he doesn't!"

"_You want to bet? Watch him sometime. You'll notice it._" Pokota instructed.

Lina could tell she was getting red-faced, and was glad that Pokota couldn't see her. "Stupid stuffed animal! I watch him all the time, and I-" she stopped abruptly, suddenly realising how that sounded. "I-I mean... I watch him occasionally... not all the time... but I've never... I mean..." she shook her head. "Look, can we please focus on important things? Like finding Zelgadis and Gourry! The last time I saw them was at Marielle's mansion, and that was obviously a while ago! She said something about 'taking care of us at a later time,' so she might be sending people out to fight us. We need to band together! Can you tell me just what did Marielle do to you?"

"_Do to me? Well… uh… the first person I met was Xellos. He told me that there was a girl that he was working for who needed my help. I didn't trust him at first, but he eventually managed to convince me… he talked lots of nonsense, but he somehow made me fall for it. I don't remember much after that because I was knocked unconscious, but I was kept in a small room… it was a nice room, almost like a hotel suite, but it was locked from the outside, so I couldn't get out. And then… um… then after a little while Amelia was there too. Marielle started harassing Amelia for her jewellery. She didn't have much on her except for her engagement ring, which she put up a real fight for…but Marielle got it in the end…_"

"Correction- _we _got it in the end." Lina said. "I saved Marielle from a group of bandits yesterday- which, in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have done- and she gave me the ring as a token of her thanks. Though once I found out it was Amelia's, I immediately gave it back to Phil and Zel."

"_Thank goodness. I could tell it was a royal family piece, and it would have been horrible if it had been stolen._" Pokota said. "_Anyway, this morning- really early this morning, before we woke up- she came to our room and said she needed my help with something. I didn't want to, but… then Xellos showed up and said that it was imperative that I cooperate… or dire consequences would follow."_

"So Xellos is pretty involved with this project, then?"

"_I'd say so_."

"Why?"

"_You think I know?_"

"Right, right." Lina nodded. "We should probably save the rest of the story until we find the others, though. They'll want to hear it too. You just stay in my pocket and keep quiet for now- I don't want you scaring anyone."

It sounded like Pokota tried to say something in response, Lina shoved the crystal back in her pocket, hurriedly searching around for any sign of her friends that she had gotten separated from. They could work things out with Pokota and get him to tell them the whole story later. There was no sense in her questioning him now and making him tell the story twice, anyway.

* * *

><p>Gourry sat up, rubbing his eyes. It was dark, and felt like one of those mornings when he woke up before the sun, feeling as though he hadn't gotten any sleep at all. "Hey, Lina..." he murmured with a yawn. "What time is it...?"<p>

He blinked for a moment, staring at the space beside him, trying to comprehend the fact that there was no Lina. In fact, there wasn't even a bed- or a floor, for that matter. He was on the ground.

"How did I... end up here...?" he mumbled to himself, confusedly. "Did Lina kick me out of the inn? Where were we staying again? I don't even remember..." He suddenly came to a realization, pounding his fist into his palm. "Oh, that's right! We went to that girl's house! I remember! And then Xellos..."

Gourry gasped loudly, jumping to his feet. "Ack! Xellos! Something's happened to Lina and Zelgadis! I've got to go find them! Now… if I only knew where they were…"

Turning around, he tried to figure out where he was supposed to go now. Where had Lina and Zelgadis wandered off to again…?

* * *

><p>Zelgadis had awoken a while ago, and was silent as he searched around for any sign of his companions. He was calling their names and waiting for one of them to say something in return that would break the silence. However, it ended up being another person altogether who had the honour of doing that.<p>

"HEY! YOU! BLUE-SKINNED, FREAKISH-LOOKING CREATURE! YOU'RE ONE OF THE SCOUNDRELS THAT ATTACKED LADY MARIELLE'S MANSION, RIGHT?"

Zelgadis spun around quickly, the full effect of the woman's accusation sinking in. He hated any mention of his condition, however subtle it was, and most of the time people did try to be tactful about it. But whoever this was had obviously never heard of tactfulness.

Zelgadis gasped when he saw her, however. It was dark, and somewhat difficult to make out the person he was facing, considering the fact that she was wearing black. However, despite the fact that her clothing was black, it wasn't much at all. Her outfit was… _revealing_, to say the least. Zelgadis didn't even know this woman, and already he'd seen more of her than he'd ever seen of Amelia- and she was his _fiancée! _

"My name is Zelgadis." he answered brusquely. "And just who do you think you are?"

The woman had an unnerving laugh that caught him off-guard. "OHOHOHOHOHOHO~ I am the head of the guard force at the mansion of Lady Marielle Emilene Marilla Fitzgerald Arcarti, and I have been sent out to destroy the evil that was bent on ruining her home and her plans. There is no evil in this world that the great Naga the Serpent cannot obliterate! "

The woman began laughing again, and Zelgadis had to cover his ears, as the loud noise stung his sensitive demonic hearing. "What are you talking about? Marielle wants me dead?"

"That's _Lady _Marielle to you! But yes. You're interfering with her experiment, so-"

"SHE _KIDNAPPED _MY FIANCEE!" Zelgadis shot back. "She's a criminal who's breaking the laws of the Sorcerers' Guild and is killing people to hide the evidence of her human experimentation! What am I supposed to do?"

Naga stood still, looking surprised. "I... I'm afraid you're mistaken, sir. We cannot be talking about the same Lady Marielle. Mine is the one who is doing beneficial experiments that will save lives. She is no criminal."

"You're the one who's mistaken, ma'am." Zelgadis replied. "Marielle is a kidnapper who is using humans as test subjects for sick, twisted experiments."

"K-Kidnapper? OHOHOHOHOHO~ Lady Marielle would never kidnap someone! And she'd certainly never use real people as test subjects!" Naga disagreed.

"I don't know what she's done to lie to you or brainwash you," Zelgadis spoke up. "but you're horribly mistaken. I actually feel kind of sorry for you."

Naga stared for a moment, sighing. "You're wrong. I was not brainwashed, and I know that Lady Marielle told me the truth. But look… Zelgadis-whatever-your-name-is… I'm supposed to kill you- but I don't really want to. You seem like a nice guy who's just been given false information, so… how about you and your friends and I make a deal? If you promise to stay away from Marielle and don't interfere with her experiments again, I won't kill you."

"Not likely. That won't change the fact that my fiancée is somewhere, trapped in that crazy girl's mansion. I'm going to get her out no matter what dangers I have to face." Zelgadis stated determinedly.

Naga sighed, and looked around awkwardly. "Well then… what am I supposed to do? I... uh…"

"Zel! There you are! Oh gosh, thank goodness I found you!"

Zelgadis turned around. "Gourry! What's going on?"

"Oh, well I was just looking for you and- huh? Who is this?" Gourry stopped suddenly and looked at Naga. "Um... should I know you? I'm sorry, but I'm not that good at remembering names, so if I'm forgetting yours, I'm sorry."

"No worries. I've never met you." Naga said with a wave of her hand. "But now that I have, let me introduce myself. I'm the famous sorceress, Naga the Serpent, of course." She took a few steps toward Gourry. He wasn't sure how to react to this girl, so he stuck his hand out to shake.

"Um… I'm Gourry Gabriev… I'm Zelgadis' friend…" he stammered.

"Oooh, Gourry Gabriev, huh? It's a pleasure to meet you!" Naga exclaimed with a grin. "You're very handsome, but I'm afraid that you're not really my type."

"That's alright. I'm engaged anyway." Gourry replied, quickly pulling his hand away.

"Oh. You are?" Naga asked.

"You are?" Zelgadis gasped.

"Yeah." Gourry nodded.

"Since _when?_"

"Uh… last night… sort of..." Gourry admitted sheepishly.

"Last night?"

"It's a long story..."

"Oh, how wonderful~!" Naga exclaimed, suddenly getting starry-eyed. "That's so romantic~! I'd love to meet this girl sometime! She must be really beautiful to get a sweet, good-looking guy like you! She might even be as beautiful as I am!"

"Well... yeah... sort of. I think she's pretty, but she never listens to me." Gourry nodded, staring in slight disgust at Naga's outfit. He made a mental note to tell Lina that she should _never _wear something like that in public.

"She's too hard on herself. She's not that bad-looking." Zelgadis agreed.

"But I'm worried about her, though! Do you know where she went?" Gourry asked.

"No more than you do." Zelgadis replied.

"Ah, this doesn't matter! How did we get on this subject in the first place?" Naga yelled. "Forget this! The fact is that you guys need to leave Lady Marielle's experiment alone! I really don't think that she's the type to kidnap people! She saved my life, after all!"

"She saved your life?" Zelgadis asked sceptically.

"Yes, she did- though she tries to convince me otherwise! She's such a humble person!"

"_Humble is a word I'd never use to describe her…_" Zelgadis murmured under his breath.

"You couldn't convince me otherwise unless it was something very drastic!" Naga retorted, beginning to walk away. "Don't come looking to screw things up for her, or you'll be answering to me, understand? Good luck with your fiancées- both of you! Be sure to invite me to your weddings!"

"As if we'd ever invite someone like her…" Zelgadis murmured under his breath.

"HEY! ROCK-SKINNED GUY! I HEARD THAT!" Naga yelled.

Zelgadis turned away, trying to look innocent. Naga glared at him for a moment, and then turned around to continue on her way, but after just a couple of moments, was stopped abruptly. There was another person standing just opposite of her, staring at the familiar young woman in astonishment.

Naga wasn't sure she was seeing correctly. "L-Lina Inverse?" she stammered.

"Naga?" Lina gasped in reply.

* * *

><p>"Jetta, do you think it was wise to send that woman out after Zelgadis?" Marielle asked settling into bed, with Pokota placed on the pillow beside hers.<p>

"I highly doubt that she will be able to get anything done." Jetta replied, sitting on the edge of the bed as she spoke to her sister. "However, it is nice to have her off our backs. I think, though, if you really want those people eliminated, you would have to get someone else to go after them. But you do not have to if you do not think-"

"Yes... that chimera and that sorceress and swordsman couple pose quite a threat. I want them out of my way." Marielle nodded.

"Then you should make your own assassin. That would fit together with our next experimental goal, correct?"

Marielle and Jetta turned around to the figure standing in the doorway. "Mister Xellos? What do you mean? What are you doing here? I thought that you were taking the night off."

"I can be in several places at once, you know." Xellos chuckled, somewhat ignoring the question. "But don't you think that's a good idea? It would be an amazing challenge for your experimental skills. Wouldn't it be wonderful to revel in your success if it worked? I'm certain that you could accomplish it."

"You think so, hmm? Well, if you are sure of it and would be willing to help me, I suppose it is a good idea! Yes! I am getting excited about it now!"

"Perfect! Sounds great!" Xellos nodded. "I'll be sure to fetch the girl bright and early tomorrow morning!"

Closing the door, Xellos began to leave. He murmured to himself as he was far enough away. "And I'm certainly glad I've gained your trust… I'll need it to obtain the information that I need… Oh, I _do_ feel a tiny bit bad about doing this to Amelia and the others… but a Mazoku has to get a meal somehow, right? Haha~!"

* * *

><p>(AN: This was a somewhat short chapter, just because this is the part where I've begun meshing the new story with the old one, so I'm trying to make the chapters line up. Was Naga's appearance too.. sudden, you think? I don't know… I think she was better introduced in the first version, but somehow the introduction didn't get put in the second version well… hmm…)


	6. Disagreements!

Here's my second chapter for the week- late, as per usual. Maybe this is becoming a theme... in any case, I don't own anything involved in Slayers, I'm just a fan having a grand time making up what-ifs and other such nonsense. Nevertheless, please enjoy it! ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>6- Disagreements! A Not-So-Happy Reunion<strong>

"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO~!" Naga laughed loudly, causing Lina to flinch. "So, the sorceress Lina Inverse has found her way into this forest, has she? I had wondered if fate would bring us to meet again!"

"Somehow… I wish fate hadn't been so kind…" Lina murmured to herself.

"Oh, but it has been too long, has it not? I haven't seen you in quite a while! How long has it been- six or seven years, I believe?"

"However long it was, it wasn't nearly long enough." Lina spat.

"OHOHOHOHO~ You're just envious that, in the time we haven't seen each other, I've grown even more beautiful, while you've stayed exactly the same as you were- in fact, I almost think you've gotten even smaller!" Naga laughed.

Lina clenched her teeth angrily."Oh, don't flatter yourself…" she growled, trying to hold back attacks that she wanted to throw at her annoying rival. "But what are you doing here anyway?"

"Me? Why I've just been talking with these nice people- Gourry and his rock-faced friend." Naga said, motioning a short distance away to Gourry and Zelgadis. "My boss, Lady Marielle, sent me to kill them, but we're working something out instead."

Lina leaned over to see them. "Oh, hey there, Gourry and Zel." Lina waved. "You guys have met Naga?"

"Yeah." Zelgadis nodded.

"Yep." Gourry said.

"Oh. Ouch. I hope she hasn't traumatised you too much." Lina sighed.

"E-excuse me?" Naga gasped. "You ought to be apologising for the fact that they know _you!_"

"Hey! They actually _like _me!" Lina spat.

"Really?" Naga laughed. "You honestly expect me to believe that these guys would willingly hang around you? Hah!"

Zelgadis shrugged. "Hey, I don't mind having her around. She's kind of annoying on occasion, but…"

"H-hey! I'm not annoying!" Lina snapped.

"You are very annoying." Naga continued to laugh. "I'm sure Gourry thinks so too! I'll bet you can't stand Lina, huh Gourry?"

"No. Actually, I really like her."

Naga blinked. "Oh. Really?"

"What do you mean, 'really?" Lina demanded. "If Gourry says he likes me, then he likes me! No questions asked!" she turned back to her friends, giving a showy wink and a cute wave of her hand. "Isn't that right, _darling_?"

Gourry blinked. "Um... are you talking to me?"

"Yes, you fool! I'm talking to you!"

"Oh. Okay." Gourry nodded simply.

"W-wait..." Naga stammered. "Don't tell me that Lina is... the girl that you were talking about earlier..."

"Yeah, she is. What about her?" Gourry questioned.

"So... you're going to marry her?"

"Yes."

"_Why?_"

"Because I love her!" Gourry exclaimed. "What other reason is there to marry someone?"

"Forget this conversation." Zelgadis interrupted, separating the two. "Let's stop fighting and talk things over, okay?"

"Fine by me." Lina agreed. "Listen, Naga. I hate to break it to you, but this Marielle person that you're apparently working for is not the most trustworthy… though that's never stopped you from working for people before…"

"All of you people are being so rude to Lady Marielle! Why do you hate her so much?" Naga yelled.

"Why do you_ like_ her so much?" Lina countered.

"Because she saved my life, of course." Naga responded indignantly.

"How in the heck did she do that? How'd you meet her anyway?" Lina questioned.

At that question, Naga sat down and motioned for everyone else to do so- indicating that it was a long story. Zelgadis sat down a short distance away, not wanting to get too close to Naga. Lina sat down and Gourry sat beside her, draping an arm over her shoulder. Lina pushed his arm away, but he put it right back on her shoulder, and she didn't have the heart to do it a second time. Naga gave the pair a slightly disgusted look. Lina saw it and leaned in closer to Gourry, as though she were teasing her rival. It was successful, at least as far as Lina was concerned- Naga seemed even more irritated seeing Lina return Gourry's affections, and Gourry, who hadn't noticed the silent competition between the two, was very happy.

"I happened to be looking for treasure one day…" Naga began, acting as though she were telling a highly important narrative.

"As per usual." Lina commented.

Naga shot her a glare and continued. "…anyway, I followed a butterfly into these strange, old ruins. Exploring them was fun, since there were a whole bunch of traps and such, but the coolest thing was when I got to the centre of the ruins. I found, on a pedestal, a strange jar. It was really beautiful, and certainly looked like treasure to me, so I reached out to grab it. Unfortunately, the jar must have been cursed, or something, because, as soon as I touched it, this enormous light shone up around me and I blacked out! I don't remember what happened after that, but apparently, a few months later, I woke up to find myself in some strange place, on what looked like an operating table. Marielle was there, and had apparently worked to get me back in my original body. She said that I'd gone through a whole lot of bodies- I don't remember them all… something like a music box, encyclopaedia, a suit of armour, a box of tangerines…"

"A suit of armour…?" Lina murmured. She whispered to herself, remembering a certain living suit of armour that bore a striking similarity to her rival. "No way… couldn't be…"

"Stop interrupting my story!" Naga spat unhappily, and then changed back to her storytelling mode. "Anyway, Lady Marielle tried to convince me that she had only used me as a test guinea pig, and that she hadn't _intentionally _saved my life, but I know it was just a lie to be humble!"

"No, it was the truth. You were just another one of Marielle's test subjects, it seems." Zelgadis commented.

"Wh-what?" Naga gasped. "B-but I was sure that… I mean, how can you mistakenly save someone's life?"

"It's not difficult. I 'mistakenly' saved Marielle a few days back- well, I saved her intentionally, but looking back on it, it was a mistake, and I figure she probably would have gotten out alive anyway..." Lina said.

"R-really?" Naga gasped. "It can't be! It just can't! It goes against everything I've believed for the past several years! I don't know what to think! I'm not sure whether I should trust _you_!"

"You should trust us. Come on, who do you think would most likely lie to you- Marielle, or us?" Lina asked.

"Well, I don't really trust you guys that much… I mean, I certainly don't trust Lina Inverse." Naga shot a glare at Lina. "Zelgadis is a freak, so I wouldn't trust someone like him-"

Lina and Gourry both had to grab Zelgadis to prevent him from severely injuring Naga at that comment.

"…And Gourry seems pretty trustworthy, but he's engaged to Lina, so there _has_ to be some sort of mental problem, somewhere in his mind…"

"H-hey!" Lina yelled. "Listen! I have undeniable proof that Marielle is performing experiments on living people!"

"Oh? What is that?" Naga asked.

"Here!" Lina pulled the crystal out of her pocket and held it up proudly.

Naga raised an eyebrow, looking unconvinced. "What is that anyway?"

"That's the gem from the Hellmaster's Jar, isn't it?" Zelgadis asked.

"Yep." Lina nodded. "Pokota? You there? Sorry to shove you in my pocket for so long. We need to talk to you. Pokota?"

"_I'm here, I'm here. Don't get pushy, Lina._"

"Pokota?" Gourry and Zelgadis gasped. The chimera jumped up and rushed over beside Lina and Gourry to get a better look at the small jewel.

"Whoa! Pokota! How in the world did you ever fit inside that tiny crystal? Did someone shrink you?" Gourry asked.

"You moron! That's not Pokota's body- it's his soul! That's what's trapped in there!" Lina yelled.

"Oh. I get it… sort of… I guess a soul must be pretty small, huh?" Gourry replied.

Lina buried her face in her hand. "No, no, no… oh you idiot… a soul doesn't have a physical form! Meaning that it can be placed in anything!"

"Oh! You mean like how a jelly dessert doesn't have a shape, so you can fit it into any kind of mold you want?" Gourry asked.

Lina was already tired of explaining things to Gourry, so she decided just to humour him. "Yes, Gourry. A soul is like a jelly dessert. Happy?"

"Yes. But now I want a jelly dessert." Gourry sighed wistfully. "One with fruit would be nice… say Pokota, does your soul have fruit in it?"

"GOURRY! SHUT UP!" Lina yelled, taking advantage of the fact that she was sitting next to him and strangling him. "I swear, you're getting stupider every day!"

"Oh… okay… Lina…" Gourry choked.

"_It's okay, Gourry._" Pokota said. "_I think it'd be cool if I had fruit in my soul. Maybe strawberries… strawberries are good…_"

"Okay, okay~!" Lina said, silencing everyone. "Admittedly we'd all like to have delicious fruit in the jelly desserts of our souls… oh gosh, that sounded poetic… but what comes first is Pokota's explanation! Pokota, we have a woman here named Naga, who claims that Marielle is a kind person who would never kidnap someone or experiment on them. So can you please enlighten her upon your predicament?"

"_Never use people for experiments?_ _Yes she would! She used _me!" Pokota's voice snapped from inside the gem.

"Wh-what? Who are you? What did Lady Marielle do? Are you even a human?" Naga asked curiously.

"_Yes! I am Prince Posel Korba Taforashia of the country of Taforashia, and I was tricked into being a test subject for that girl- Marielle! So now I'm trapped inside a jar without a way out and she's using my body as a pet_!"

"A… a pet…?" Naga stammered.

"It's a long story." Zelgadis replied.

Naga looked back and forth Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, and the gem where Pokota's voice had come from.

"I... I don't know who to believe... but... royalty is _always _trustworthy. So, if I hear it from the mouth of the prince trapped in the jar, perhaps I'll be persuaded." Naga finished. "So… um… Prince Posel, was it?"

"_You can call me 'Pokota,' if you'd like_." he replied.

"Okay… Pokota… what do you think I should do?"

"You're asking _him _for advice? You don't even know what he looks like!" Lina yelled.

"_Hey, I don't know what she looks like, but I don't mind giving her advice. She's just a little misguided, that's all. At least she knows that royalty is trustworthy_."

"And how does she know you're not lying when you said you were a prince?" Lina pointed out.

"I have no reason _not _to trust him." Naga shrugged. "So, what do you suggest, Pokota?"

"_Well, I think you were a bit unfair in your analysis of my friends. Lina… well, you were right about not trusting her_…"

"Wh-what?" Lina yelled.

"…_but Zelgadis is a good man. He may look, uh, _strange, _on the outside, but he's a good person on the inside. I assure you. And Gourry… he's a few cards short of a full deck, but you can trust him beyond a shadow of a doubt. He won't betray you._"

"So… you think I should trust them?" Naga asked curiously.

"_Yes- you at least should help them. To help us rescue Amelia, if nothing else_."

"A-Amelia…?" Naga gasped.

"_Oh, sorry- that's the name of Zelgadis' fiancée!_" Pokota explained.

"No… it's not that… I, uh… I just used to know someone named Amelia. That's all. It couldn't be the same person, though." Naga replied hastily.

"Of course it couldn't be the same person." Zelgadis nodded. "Our 'Amelia' is the princess of a country. The country of Seyruun."

Naga stood still for a moment, looking as though she wasn't sure how to respond.

"Naga? You okay?" Lina asked, waving her hand in front of the sorceress' face.

"Amelia…" Naga finally breathed. She sank to the ground, clutching her face with her hands. "Oh my gosh, _Amelia_!"

"What's wrong? Don't tell us that it's the same Amelia that you knew!" Lina gasped.

"But how would she know Amelia?" Gourry asked.

"I used to live in Seyruun city a long time ago!" Naga exclaimed frantically. "I was familiar with the royal family… like Amelia and Philionel and Alfred and Christopher… oh Amelia! It can't be! You say she was kidnapped?"

"Y-yeah…" Lina stammered. "You seriously knew Amelia and Phil?"

"I did! It was a long time ago… but yes! Oh, poor Amelia! No!" Naga seemed distraught. "This can't be true!"

"That's exactly how I felt." Zelgadis murmured.

Naga stood up, her eyes burning fiercely. "This is the final straw! Marielle might have acted nice to me, but it was obviously all an act! Oh, how could I have been so blind? For her to kidnap someone so sweet, kind, and pure as Amelia… we've got to do something!"

"_Wow, that was fast_." Pokota commented quietly to Zelgadis.

"Hey, at least she's on our side, now. Though I'm wondering just how she knew Amelia… after all, Amelia and Phil never talked about anyone named Naga…"

"_I'm wondering how someone involved with a person like Marielle could ever have been familiar with the royal family… maybe she was a prisoner at one time._" Pokota suggested.

"That's a good theory. She must have been a criminal, and perhaps Phil and Amelia tried to reform her."

"W_ith no success?_"

"Well, of course."

Lina leaned over and stared at her friend and the gem he was holding. "Zel? Pokota? What are you whispering about?"

"_Nothing!_" they both replied at the same time.

"Ah well, whatever. Now that we've got Naga in tow, she can tell all about Marielle's plan, and we can go there and rescue Amelia!" Lina exclaimed.

"What about the fact that the mansion is enchanted? The place is like a maze, and if you don't know the layout, you could get lost and possibly never find the way out." Zelgadis reminded Lina.

"But wouldn't Naga know the layout?" Lina asked.

"I don't…" Naga sighed. "I only know the first hallway and the gathering room, because those are the only parts of the house I've been to. Besides, I'd probably get lost, even if I did know the layout… I'm not very good with directions..."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Lina yelled.

"Let's not jump into this. I wanted to run off and rescue Amelia at first, but I hadn't realised just what we were dealing with." Zelgadis said. "From what we've seen today, there is much, much more to this Marielle girl than meets the eye. I think we need to learn more about her before running off and trying to fight her. We need to know exactly what we're doing."

"I guess you're right… We can't jump into things without knowing what we're jumping into. I say we go find out all we can about this Marielle girl." Lina nodded.

"But where should we go to find information about her?" Gourry asked.

Lina shrugged. "Don't ask me. I can't think well on an empty stomach. We came here thinking that we were going to eat something at Marielle's place... but we didn't! I'm starving! We should get some food, first of all."

Naga glared at Lina. "You're still always thinking about your stomach?"

"Aww, come on! I'm hungry too!" Gourry complained. "Can we continue this conversation after dinner?

Naga rolled her eyes. "Trust Lina Inverse to marry a man with the same crazy appetite that she has."

"Hey! You're not the one to be talking!" Lina growled.

"I do think it would be a good idea to eat something and then figure out what our next plan should be." Zelgadis sighed. "We should go back to the nearby town and stay there for the night, at least."

"_Hmph... I wish I could eat something... but I'm just a soul in a jar.. don't mind me..._" Pokota muttered glumly.

"Aww! Poor little Pokota~!" Naga exclaimed loudly, grabbing the jewel from Lina's hands and holding it close. "Don't worry you sweet little prince! I'll make sure to eat extra just for you!"

"_Um... thank you?_" Pokota didn't really see how that would help him. He wondered if Naga was really trying to be sincere and helpful, or whether she was just teasing him.

* * *

><p>With Naga's help gathering their bearings, Lina and her friends chatted as they made their way back to the town and to the inn that Lina and Gourry had been staying at before. Lina went to get rooms for the group while sending her friends off to the restaurant, instructing Gourry to order her everything on the menu that looked tasty. She returned and tossed Zelgadis and Naga each a set of keys.<p>

"What'd you order me, Gourry?" she asked.

"Oh, the same thing I got." he smiled, pointing to the menu.

"That sounds good. If you got it too, it must be good." Lina sat down beside him and gave him an affectionate punch on the shoulder.

"So, for our plan-" Zelgadis began, but Lina cut him off by shoving her fork in his face.

"Not so fast, Zel. Dinner comes first."

"Yes, yes. Not so fast, Zel." Naga giggled, poking him with the end of her own fork. "Oh wow, your skin is so cool!" She continued poking him until he suddenly slapped her fork away from his face. It hit the floor, driving the prongs into the wooden floor with a loud noise.

"Don't. Touch. Me." Zelgadis growled softly.

"Sorry. Gee, you're touchy, aren't you?" Naga asked.

"_I think you're the one who was going a little bit far, Miss Naga._" Pokota replied. "_I mean, I couldn't see what was going on, but I get the feeling that you were really invading his personal space._"

Naga picked up the crystal again. "Oh, Pokota! You know that you can just call me Naga! And I wasn't bothering Zelgadis _that _much-"

"Yes, you were. And don't try to get so familiar with Pokota. You don't even really know him." Lina scolded. "In any case, while we wait for our food, why don't you tell us a little more about how you know Amelia. Just what is your connection to the royal family of Seyruun anyway?"

"Oh, that?" Naga asked. "That's, uh, kind of a long story."

"We have some time." Lina replied. "Tell us about yourself."

"About myself?" Naga replied, looking around. "Okay, well, let's see... a few years ago I was looking for treasure, and I followed this butterfly-"

"We just heard that story. Go farther back." Lina instructed.

"Farther back?" Naga blinked, seeming slightly confused. "Well... you see... my mother and my father originally met-"

"Okay! That's a little _too _far back!" Lina waved her hands. "Just... tell us about when you lived in Seyruun. What happened then?"

"When I lived in Seyruun, huh?" Naga finally murmured. "Let's see... I played with Amelia every day when we were little. We used to have all kinds of adventures. But... I eventually left when the queen was murdered, because it made me realise just how naive and sheltered I was, and that I needed to see the world. That's when I started travelling on my own. I've been writing to my family back in Seyruun City, but I haven't visited the city again since then."

"That was a long time ago." Lina commented. "Did your family agree with you travelling?"

Naga shrugged. "They didn't seem to mind it. My father even told me that he thought it would be good for me to see more of the world and become a well-rounded person. And so, ever since then, I've been on the road. It's been a lovely trip- I've met many people and seen many things. Why, I've even created a name and reputation for myself! OHOHOHOHOHO~!"

Lina cringed, covering her ears. "So, uh, is 'Naga' even your real name?"

"It's 'Gracia,' actually." Naga replied. "That's probably what people will call me when we go to Seyruun City."

"_I'm glad we know that now._" Pokota commented. "_Gracia, huh? Hmm... I may be wrong, since I can't see you, but I don't think it really suits you..."_

Naga sighed loudly. "It doesn't. That's why I've chosen to go by 'Naga the Serpent."  
>"Oh look, here's our food!" Lina pointed and sat up excitedly, completely ignoring Naga's commentary.<p>

"Yay!" Gourry agreed with her, beginning to dig into his meal.

After the table was piled high with empty plates, Lina and her friends began a discussion as to what he best course of action would be. The consensus (as decided by Lina, Zelgadis, and Pokota) was that he should return to Seyruun city in order to tell Philionel what they had learned about Amelia's situation. Naga seemed slightly reluctant, but she decided that it was the best thing to do anyway.

After a large dessert, Lina dragged a half-asleep Gourry upstairs to their room, leaving Naga, Zelgadis, and Pokota behind.

Naga watched them go, her face in her hands, sighing dreamily. "They're so cute~."

"_Weird is more like it_." Pokota added.

"I think it's sweet that Lina Inverse actually found a man." Naga shrugged. "I never would have thought it possible."

"I honestly can't picture Lina alone." Zelgadis commented. "I've never known her when she wasn't with Gourry, so that just doesn't strike me as possible that they could ever be apart."

"How long have they been together?" Naga was curious.

"I don't know. I've known them for about five years now." Zelgadis grabbed his now empty cup of tea and looked at it, as though contemplating whether or not to ask the waitress for more.

"_Naga, how long have you known Lina?_" Pokota asked.

"The last time I saw her was more than five years ago, but I had known her for a year or two before then. We go pretty far back." Naga seemed prideful of the fact that she'd known Lina before any of the others. "As soon as I saw her and her abilities, I knew that she was fit to be my greatest rival."

"I see..." Zelgadis gave a small nod. "So you don't mind going with us to Seyruun? You looked a little reluctant when we mentioned it."

"Oh, I don't mind. I just haven't been in a while, that's all. I do want to help rescue Amelia, of course." Naga smiled brightly. "Plus, I really want to meet Zara."

"What? How do you know about him?" Zelgadis stiffened in surprise.

"I heard Lina and Gourry talking about him on our way back to town. He sounds cute."

"I guess you could say that."

"_I've only met him once, and I don't remember it all that well._" Pokota added. "_But from what I remember, he's a bright kid._"

Naga giggled happily. "Oh, I can't wait!"

Zelgadis frowned. "I'm glad you're so eager to rescue your friend Amelia."

"I do want to rescue Amelia! I'm just trying to be less gloomy about it! You're such a downer, Zelgadis! How in the world did Amelia ever fall in love with someone like you? The poor girl shouldn't have to deal with someone like you, much less live with you forever!"

That was a low blow, and Zelgadis tried not to show his anger at Naga's insinuations. "I don't know how it happened." he growled. "I'm just darn glad that she did, so you don't have any room to talk." He got up from the table, grabbing the key to his room and Pokota's crystal, and began to leave.

"Wait! Hold on, Zelgadis!"

Zelgadis stopped, wondering if Naga was going to apologise. He might have been a little quick to judge her, as Amelia was constantly scolding him for doing to people. Perhaps she hadn't meant to be so rude to him, and wanted to be friends. He turned around to her.

"Yes?"

"Gimme back Pokota! How come _you _get to keep him?"

Zelgadis cringed. She wasn't even worried about him at all.

"_Why do you want me? Leave me alone!_" Pokota demanded.

"I wanted to talk to you some more, Pokota~! Wait!" Naga whined.

"You'll have plenty of time to talk with Pokota on our way to Seyruun tomorrow." Zelgadis rolled his eyes. "Good night to you, Miss Naga."

Naga immaturely stuck out her tongue at him. "Fine, have it your way, meanie." she pouted. "I really thought I advised Amelia to stay away from people like you."

Zelgadis sneered at her and simply walked away. He heard Naga yelling at the waitress as he left the room.

"Waitress!" she called. "Tell the bartender that I want a dram each of all your best single malts! Make it snappy, will you?"

_So I'm the one she thinks Amelia should stay away from, huh? That idiot... _

It was safe to say that Zelgadis was not amused in the slightest by their new comrade.

* * *

><p>(AN: So, this chapter was a little longer than my previous ones, but I wanted to fit everything in. I kind of pulled bits and pieces from various parts of my first draft, due to the different chronologies, so I hope I didn't make any mistakes with that... please point them out if I did, so that I can fix them! Thanks so much for reading this! I appreciate it so much! ^_^)


	7. Regression

I'm sorry for the delay- life got hectic and crazy last week. But I'm back again with another chapter... I feel like this is oddly transitional, but... whatever. I don't own Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction! Do enjoy! ^_^

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><p><strong>7- Regression! Return to Seyruun!<strong>

"Naga, Naga, Naga... Of all the people we could have run into, why did it have to be her?" Lina pounded her fist into her pillow angrily.

" Don't do that to the pillows, Lina. You'll break one, and then we'll have to pay for it."

She ignored Gourry's friendly warning. "I mean, what are the odds that Naga would be working for Marielle, the person who kidnapped Amelia? Of all the stupid coincidences in the world, why this one?"

Gourry laid back lazily, still half asleep, and stared at the ceiling. "Maybe it's not a coincidence." he murmured.

Lina blinked for a moment and thought it over. "Not a coincidence, huh? But what connection would they both have to that uppity little criminal? Naga did say that they were childhood friends... and Marielle did experiment on Naga too, at one point... When Marielle talked about the certain characteristics that she needed in a test subject, she mentioned that Amelia was what she needed. Surely Amelia and Naga would have at least something in common, and that common trait would be the thing that Marielle needs for her experiments..." Lina jumped up excitedly. "And if we can figure out what those common traits are, then we'll be able to figure out what Marielle might be doing! You're right, Gourry, that must be it!" She grabbed him by the arm and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Gourry Gabriev, I knew there were some brains somewhere in that big empty head of yours!"

Gourry blinked dazedly. "...what did I say that was so smart?"

Lina sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes I think I put too much faith in you. Listen and try to understand, alright?" she asked, sitting down on the bed beside him.

"Listening." he assured her.

"Naga and Amelia are- or, at least, were at one time- friends. Right?"

"Right." Gourry nodded.

"And Marielle wants a very particular characteristic in her test subjects, right?"

"I guess."

"Therefore, if we can figure out the connection between Naga and Amelia, then we can figure out what Marielle wants!"

"Yeah!" Gourry exclaimed with a smile, then paused, a blank look crossing his face. "Wait... what? There's something I don't get."

Lina thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "You're right, Gourry."

Gourry blinked even more, confusedly considering that his question hadn't been answered. "I am?"

"We haven't been thinking about how Pokota fits into all of this!" Lina jumped up again. "Darn it! That little animal ruins all our ideas! How in the world does he fit into all this?"

Gourry shrugged. "Maybe he's just a red herring."

"Good guess, but not likely." Lina responded. "The thing is that Marielle is not the type of person who would throw something into the mix of evidence to confuse someone who was after her arrest. Not if she's killed members of the Sorcerers' Guild, at least. She seems like the kind of brat who's been allowed to do whatever she wants whenever she wants, and doesn't have any sense of how to do things. She's dangerous, Gourry."

"I know, Lina."

"Despite all this, we've got to do something about her and her crazy experiments. But with Xellos around doing her bidding, that's going to be difficult. Marielle seems to be a first-rate sorceress, but her power probably can't even hold a candle to Xellos."

"Don't worry, Lina. While I'm around, no one is going to touch you." Gourry assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I promise."

Lina chuckled, pulling at his hair. "I can always count on good old Gourry to keep me out of trouble, right?" She pulled her hands back into her lap, growing more serious again. "But... with Naga, Amelia, Pokota, and Xellos involved, and the Hellmaster's Jar having reappeared... We just don't have enough information yet to know just what's going on..." she sighed morosely. "I hate not being able to figure things out..."

"All this thinking so late at night is making my head hurt." Gourry groaned.

Lina chuckled. "Sorry 'bout that, big guy. I don't want you to hurt yourself. Go to sleep, alright? We've got lots of walking to do tomorrow."

"Oh man... from here to Seyruun, back here, and now back to Seyruun... I'm going to learn this route like the back of my hand..." Gourry gave a sigh.

"I could always fly you back to Seyruun." Lina mentioned with a shrug.

Gourry shuddered. "I can walk. Walking is nice. Walking is good for your heath. I like walking."

Lina smirked. "I'm glad you're so gung-ho about it now. Now go to sleep now, alright? I'll do the same. We can't let these worries keep us from getting a good night's sleep."

Gourry nodded, diving under his blankets again. "Yes, Lina. I love you, Lina."

"Right back at you, big guy." Lina murmured quietly.

"...that doesn't count, Lina. You have to actually say it."

Lina frowned poutingly. "Fine, fine. I love and adore you, my dearest, darlingest-"

"Lina, that is NOT coming from your heart."

"There is no pleasing you, is there?" she snapped. "I love you, now shut up and sleep!"

Lina grabbed her own pillow and settled down frustratedly. Gourry just chuckled with a smile.

"That's the Lina I know..."

* * *

><p>Zelgadis marched up the stairs and into his room with Pokota's crystal in tow. He wasn't happy, and after his talk with Naga, Pokota certainly couldn't blame him.<p>

"_Hey, Zelgadis, you're not letting what that crazy lady said bother you, are you_?"

"No." Zelgadis clenched his teeth angrily. "Not at all. There's no reason to. She was spouting a lot of nonsense. If she's hung over tomorrow, we're leaving her behind."

"_But she knows more about Marielle than we do, since she's been working for her for several years. Besides, she said she wanted to rescue Amelia too, right?_"

"Oh, and now you're going to take her side just because she was fawning over you all through dinner?" Zelgadis accused.

"_I'm _not _taking her side; and for the record, she was _not _fawning over me either. That would be gross. I don't know what she looks like, or why she's taken an interest in me, but I dislike it as much as you do. Still, if she's the only way we can stop Marielle, what choice do we have?_" Pokota replied.

Zelgadis put his hand to his forehead, sighing deeply. "Maybe I'm just overreacting. I've been stressed and sick lately, and it's just..."

Pokota was concerned. "_Sick? Sick how? Not that I could possibly catch it or anything, but... I'm kind of paranoid about illnesses... you know..._"

"It's not... I don't think... It's just..." Zelgadis tried to find some way to explain it. "I've just been having headaches, is all. Don't worry about it. It's probably nothing."

"_Alright, then. You seem fine to me. It's probably just stress. Don't worry so much- Amelia is fine, and we'll get her out of this mess. I saw her just the other day, and she was just as lively as ever. A little confused at the fact that we were being held at the mansion longer than expected, but the same old Amelia._"

Zelgadis nodded. "Good. I'm glad."

"_How far away is Seyruun City from here anyway?_"

"It's about a day's walk. If we start out first thing in the morning, we should make it there early evening, in time for dinner."

"_I know that Lina and Gourry are happy about that._"

"Those two seem to be in a perpetually good mood lately." Zelgadis shrugged. "I can't say I blame them, though. They're lucky. They have everything a couple could ever want."

"_What do you mean?_"

"Well, they've got each other around all the time, they can do whatever they want whenever they want, go wherever they want to go..."

"_And Amelia is tied to the palace in Seyruun, so you're stuck there with her too._"

"No, it's not that! I don't mind that!" Zelgadis snapped. "I'm happy with my life. I still travel often enough, chasing down the few remaining leads that might help me find my cure... not that I'm in any hurry." He paused, then continued. "I just think that Lina and Gourry take their freedom for granted. That's all."

"_Well, that's the purpose, isn't it?_" Pokota spoke up. "_Being able to go about the day without worrying about how bad you have it, or spending all your time thinking about how good you have it... no worries... isn't that what it's all about?_"

Zelgadis chuckled. "You know, I have to admit, after all I've heard about 'counting your blessings,' that's a new perspective for me. After all, you can only count so far until your head starts to hurt, right?"

Pokota laughed. "_Certainly! And some people can count further than others, so..."_

"You're not talking about Gourry, are you?"

"_Not directly._"

"The poor guy- everyone is always cracking jokes at his expense."

"_He doesn't seem to mind it, though. Gourry's a good sport. Maybe you should try to be like that, Zelgadis._"

"Like what?"

"_Not caring what others think of you. You've always had this motivation to make your appearance better so that people won't consider you a freak. Why care so much about what people think of you? If I worried constantly about how people viewed a stuffed animal being the prince of a country, I'd never get anything done! Look; you've got lots of friends who care about you and a girl who loves you more than anything in the world- and none of them care about how you look, or how other people perceive you. Just think about that, will you?_"

Zelgadis was quiet. "...fine. I'll think about it."

"_Good. Now you go to sleep, and I'll... try to pretend that I can do the same._"

"Being a soul in a jar is kind of boring, isn't it, Pokota?"

"_You have no idea..._"

* * *

><p>Surprisingly for Zelgadis and Pokota, Naga was the first one up that morning, acting as chipper as ever. The group let Lina and Gourry inhale an early breakfast, and then continued on their way.<p>

Naga was the talkative one, and the only person she seemed to want to talk to was Pokota, much to the prince's dismay- as well as the dismay of the people around them.

The annoying thing was that, no matter how many monosyllabic, conversation-ending responses Pokota gave, Naga wouldn't stop talking.

Eventually, it seemed as though she managed to break through a certain point in her conversation. Somewhere along the way, it changed from Naga talking to Naga into Naga talking to Pokota, with Lina and Gourry involved. Only Zelgadis stayed out of the conversation, keeping his head down and mouth closed.

"What? We're almost in Seyruun city already? That was fast!" Gourry exclaimed, peering over the horizon.

"Ack! We're that close?" Naga looked around worriedly. "I... I probably should Ray Wing ahead so that I can introduce myself before you get there..."

"Why is that?" Zelgadis asked curiously.

"Well..." Naga murmured with unease. "I haven't been to the palace in years... If I just show up unannounced, then there might be an uproar, and it would delay your discussion on our plans. So I should probably..."

"Are you afraid that they might not let you in?" Zelgadis asked, an obvious glare of suspicion in his eyes.

"Of course they'll let me in! I just..." Naga looked around. "Let me go. I'll meet you there."

"It's fine by me." Lina shrugged. "The fewer problems Naga creates for us, the better. Just-" she grabbed Naga's arm. "if you see a young child at the palace, don't touch him, or I'll hunt you down and kill you. Got it?"

Naga just chuckled, which was an oddly quieter form of her normal laugh. "Don't worry, Lina." she assured the sorceress. "I won't touch your little boy."

Lina frowned, wondering just what Naga knew about her "little boy" and how, but she didn't ask anything more. "Go ahead, then. Good luck getting into the palace."

"I won't need it." Naga replied as she chanted a Ray Wing spell and rushed off toward the direction of the city.

"She's so cryptic- even moreso than Marielle, I think." Zelgadis muttered.

"I'm just glad she's gone." Lina sighed. "I don't think I could have taken much more of that."

"Me too." Zelgadis added. "There's something about her that I just can't stand."

"I agree with you guys... she just... talks too much." Gourry nodded.

"_I don't know. I thought she was kind of funny_."

All eyes turned to Pokota, though, of course, he couldn't feel them as the crystal only transported sound and not physical clues. However, the dead silence was enough to convince him that the group must be staring at him. Either that, or something was very wrong.

"_What? Am I not allowed to have an opinion?_"

"You seemed plenty annoyed by her last night." Zelgadis pointed out.

"_I'm not saying she's not annoying now. She's just... more interesting than I thought she would be._" Pokota clarified.

"Oh, I get it." Lina chuckled teasingly. "Pokota's falling in love~."

"_Lina, that's the stupidest idea I've heard all day._" Pokota replied. "_Just because I can apparently tolerate her much better than you can, doesn't mean anything of the sort. You only think that because Gourry is the only one who puts up with your nonsense, Lina._"

"Not true!" Lina yelled back. "I don't give you guys a lot of nonsense! Right, Gourry? Tell Pokota how I'm not nonsensical in the least!"

Gourry blinked slightly in confusion. "Of course you're not... nonse...nons... uh... you're very pretty, Lina!"

Lina groaned, placing her face in her hand. "Well, that has nothing to do with anything, but thank you, Gourry. It's nice that _someone _notices."

"Could you all just stop talking and drop the subject?" Zelgadis growled. "This is getting us nowhere and wasting time. Lina, stop teasing Pokota. Pokota, stop arguing with Lina."

"Fine..." Lina sighed.

"_Fine._" Pokota added. "_Maybe things will calm down once we get to the palace. Surely even someone like Naga will try to be civil in the presence of royalty._"

"She certainly doesn't act civil in _your _presence." Lina pointed out. "And she obviously _loves _the fact that you're royalty."

Zelgadis sighed as Lina and Pokota began another round of arguing. It was futile to try getting them to stop anyway- he might as well get used to it again...

* * *

><p>The palace guards were not as reluctant to allow them entry this time. It seemed as if they all knew that Lina and her friends were attempting to rescue Amelia, and did not pose a threat. They weren't even given an escort to the meeting room where they had been designated to go. It seemed as though the guards trusted that Zelgadis knew his way around the palace well enough to lead his friends there if they needed it.<p>

They entered the room, finding Naga and Philionel silently waiting for them. The atmosphere in the room felt odd, as though there were some tension that was built up around them. Lina glanced back and forth between the two.

"Hey, Naga… so I guess that you and Phil have gotten introductions out of the way?"

"Indeed." Naga grinned, reaching up to drape her arm over the man's shoulders. "We've worked things out. Haven't we, _Philionel_?"

Lina blinked confusedly. Naga had said his full name as though the two were chummy, and yet their facial expressions showed something different.

"Indeed." Phil nodded, sounding like he was trying to stay calm, though it wasn't apparent what kind of emotional outburst he was stifling. "Gracia tells me that you've… found some more information on Amelia?"

"Right!" Lina nodded. "And we wanted to get together with you so that we could determine the best course of action for-"

"Lina! Gourry! You guys came back and didn't tell me~!"

A small voice rang out through the hallway, echoing across the room. Lina twirled around quickly. There was only one person who had such a high-pitched voice and such a strong pair of lungs to back it up.

"Zara!"

The boy grabbed onto Lina's legs with an unyielding grip. Lina patted his head reassuringly. "Sorry about leaving so abruptly, little guy. We just had something important to do, and we didn't want you having to get out of bed when you're sick. Okay? You still have a fever, don't you?"

"No, I don't." Zara shook his head with a pout. "And I was worried about you guys. When you go off places, I never know how long you'll be gone."

Lina knelt down. "Don't worry. It's just that there's a lot of strange stuff going on, and I don't want you involved more than necessary. You can stay here with Phil for a little while longer, can't you?"

"You're leaving _again_?" Zara sounded exasperated.

However, he didn't have the time to say anything else before he was forcefully abducted from Lina's side.

"OH, YOU'RE SO CUTE~!" Naga gushed happily, squeezing the boy into a big hug. "I just can't believe it! How adorable! I knew that Lina and Gourry's little boy must be quite cute, but I had no idea~!"

"Linaaaa~! Help me~!" Zara squealed, struggling against Naga's grip. "Who is this crazy lady?"

"Oh, come now, sweetheart! I'm no crazy lady! My name is Naga!" she replied, trying to stop him from flailing around so that she could get a good look at him. "There, now. You don't look… quite like I expected you to, though. I… can't say that I see the family resemblance."

"_What _family resemblance?" Lina demanded, grabbing Zara's arm and pulling on it in an attempt to get Naga to release the child.

"He doesn't look a thing like you or Gourry." Naga replied. "I thought that-"

"Why would he?" Lina interrupted. "He's not actually related to us or anything."

Naga blinked for a moment, releasing her grip on Zara enough so that Lina could take the boy back. Zara clung to Lina tightly, looking at Naga with slight fear in his eyes.

"He… isn't? But, I thought that he was… the way you talked about him, it made me think…" Naga stammered. "You mean… he isn't really your child? Yours and Gourry's, I mean."

Lina flushed slightly. "No. Of course not. Where'd you get a silly idea like that? He's an orphan, so-"

"Really?" Naga cut Lina's sentence off, grabbing for Zara again. The poor boy's struggles were futile against the determined sorceress. "Then I want him! He's mine! I'll adopt him!"

"NO, YOU WON'T!" Lina yelled. "Gourry and I already have! He's _ours_!"

Naga pouted. "That's no fair! You think that you can claim him just because you saw him first?"

"Naga!" Lina shrieked, sounding horrified. "Zara is a _child_! Not something you can just claim! Give him back to me right now, or I swear-"

"No! I won't! You can't tell me what to do!"

"I _can_, if it involves this child over whom I have legal guardianship! Phil has the papers if you don't believe me!"

"You complain about me reducing the child to a simple object, and now you're reducing him to a piece of paper? Lina! I thought you were better than that!" Naga huffed angrily. "I think I know what to do." She placed Zara on the floor again, keeping a hand on his shoulder. He didn't dare move while she could still grab him again at any moment. "You seem like a bright young man, Zara." Naga continued. "I think that _you _should make the decision. You'd much rather be stuck with someone fun like me, rather than a strict, mean old hag like Lina, right?"

"_What_ did you call me?" Lina yelled. "C'mon, Zara- you know better than that!"

Naga pulled her hand away from Zara's shoulder, and he looked back and forth between the two angry women appearing as though he was absolutely terrified. He spent several seconds looking at Lina, then at Naga, back at Lina, then back at Naga, and then finally managed to come to enough of a decision and move. He walked over and clung to his chosen adult, trying not to look at either of the women who'd just been arguing over him.

"Gourry… help me…" he sobbed.

Gourry bent down and put an arm around the little boy. "Actions speak louder than words, you two." He scolded, staring scornfully at Lina and Naga. "Look- you've traumatized the poor boy."

"Hmph. No accounting for taste, I guess." Naga sighed indignantly.

Lina was much more apologetic. "I'm so sorry, you guys… 'specially you, Zara. I didn't mean to make you cry. Please stop…"

"Anyway..." Naga sighed. "It doesn't matter. I already know of a little boy I'm sure I can adopt and care for!"

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Why, my little Pokota darling, of course." Naga grinned. She twirled around and grabbed the gem from Zelgadis. "you'll be my little boy, won't you, Pokota?"

No one was quite sure what to say. Pokota spoke up first.

"_How old do you think I am?_!" he demanded indignantly.

"I don't know." Naga shrugged. "You sound like you're... 8... maybe 9 at the most..."

"_WHAT?_!"

Lina snickered. "Well, you do have the whole 'kid voice' thing going on there, Pokota. I can see how someone would be fooled."

"_Oh, come on! Seriously? I'm more than TWICE that age!_" Pokota yelled back in protest.

"You're what?" Naga gasped. "Can't be! So... it's just that... you voice never really changed?"

"_Not much- but that's a long story! Forget it! I'm not a kid, Naga_!"

Naga sniffled. "I feel so disillusioned..." she murmured pitifully. "That image I had in my head of a little boy with platinum blonde hair and big hazel eyes-"

"_I look _nothing _like that, Naga_."

"NOW you tell me!"

"Naga, look- he didn't know any more than you did. You can't blame him for not correcting you if he didn't even know that you were fantasising."

Naga just sighed. "You know, maybe you've confused me too much already." She turned and walked toward the door, as though she were going to leave, but she was stopped suddenly.

"Why, where in the world are you going, Miss Naga?" a familiar voice chimed curiously.

Naga blinked, staring at the man in front of her. "Y-you're..." Naga stammered. "You're Marielle's..."

Xellos just chuckled. "I'm delighted that you recognise me, former-captain of the mansion guards. I'm guessing that you have more important things to attend to now?"

"XELLOS!" Zelgadis was livid to see the Mazoku after the disagreement they'd had the previous day. Lina had to grab the chimera's arm to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

"Showing your face here was a very bad idea, Xellos. You might want to leave now, while you can." she warned.

"Why, whatever are you talking about?" Xellos feigned an innocent look, but everyone knew the truth.

"Phil," Zelgadis began angrily. "This is the man responsible for Amelia's kidnapping. He's the one who tricked her."

"Mister Xellos?" Phil stammered. "But... I thought that he..."

"He's on Marielle's side this time." Lina added.

"Miss Lina, I am not on Marielle's side." Xellos interrupted.

"Don't play these games with us! We saw you there helping her- with the Hellmaster's Jar, no less!" Zelgadis snarled. "You attacked us, and who knows what you've done to Amelia-"

"Zelgadis, I am NOT on Marielle's side!" Xellos was adamant. "And for the record, I haven't even laid a finger on Amelia. One of my objectives is to make sure that she doesn't come to any harm."

Lina stared at him. "But that doesn't make any sense." she argued. "Why in the world did you abduct her then?"

"Isn't it obvious?"'Xellos responded. "To get you all involved, of course."

Lina stared, bewildered. "E-excuse me?"

"Please," Xellos began, pulling a chair over and sitting down. "Let's get a big more comfortable and I'll explain everything."

The group exchanged a collective glance, but Lina sighed and nodded.

"Fine then, Xellos. But you've got to spill the whole story. Tell us _everything_."


	8. Answers, please?

The last chapter cut off kind of abruptly, so here is the next one! A tad bit shorter than usual, but hopefully no one minds... you're not OCD about chapter length the way I am, right? Anyhow, I don't own anything related to Slayers, I'm just a fan having fun writing some fiction. Do enjoy!

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><p><strong>8- Answers, please? Xellos' stories all sound the same... <strong>

Lina and her friends sat around the room, staring down Xellos. He had offered information and, as much as the group despised him, he wasn't going to get away without spilling everything he knew.

"So, you wanted to get us involved in whatever's going on?" Lina asked.

"Why, of course. That's the only reason why I'd go after someone like Amelia or Pokota. There's something much, much bigger going on here, and I needed your help. That's why I captured Amelia- and then Pokota as well, just for insurance.

"_I-Insurance?_"

"Just to make sure that Miss Lina and the others had sufficient reason to get involved in Marielle's affairs."

"Why didn't you just _tell _us about it?" Zelgadis growled angrily. "You could have just _asked _us to get involved."

"Actually, Zelgadis, I _couldn't _have." Xellos replied bluntly. "It's more complicated than that. If I'd just told you about Marielle, you might have tracked her down and killed her or had her arrested due to all her crimes. However, that isn't my aim, and that wouldn't solve the underlying problem."

"Underlying problem? You mean there's more than just her criminal activities?" Lina raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, the Mazoku under Lord Beastmaster have done some studying and have come up with a theory. Assuming that our theory is correct, if Marielle's experiments succeed, then it could be very good or very bad for the Mazoku race, depending on the circumstances." He paused. "_But_, if something- even something small- of the experiment goes just the tiniest bit awry... it could be disastrous."

Lina and Zelgadis exchanged a puzzled glance. Zelgadis was the first to speak. "A... theory? What is that theory?"

Xellos chuckled. "You're honestly asking me that? You know that it is most certainly classified information. It's a secret, of course."

Zelgadis clenched his teeth. "Well, then... what in the world is Marielle's goal with these experiments anyway?"

Xellos waved a finger. "Can't tell you that either."

"Then just how in the world do you expect us to do anything?" Lina demanded.

"Miss Naga is not under the compulsion of secrecy. Ask her for information." Xellos smiled.

"Me? What would I know?" Naga asked, looking around confusedly.

"But what about us? What are we supposed to do? You're going to get us involved and not tell us what we're supposed to be doing?" Lina asked.

"You'll figure it out." Xellos smirked. "Just keep doing what you're doing. I've got everything set up like it should be. As long as you just keep trying to rescue Amelia and Pokota-"

"You're not going to help us?" Zelgadis pointed an accusing finger at the Mazoku. "_You're _the one who said that their safety is your priority. Why not help us?"

"Because, Zelgadis, Marielle is not going to do anything that will physically harm them. Therefore, it doesn't make any difference to me whether they are in Marielle's possession, or yours."

"Now you're talking about them like they're just _objects_?" Naga demanded.

"Well, what more could you expect from a Mazoku?" Lina sighed. "Listen, Xellos. It sounds like you've been working for Marielle for a long time now, and so you must know a lot about her. We want to learn more about her before we go back to try rescuing Amelia."

"About Marielle? Well..." Xellos paused, though he looked as though he had thoroughly expected this. "Well.. her hometown is a little village called Belz, in the southern portion of Lyzeille. At least, her family is from there. Buuuuut~"

"But what?" Lina asked.

Xellos smiled. "I think this might be a bit more interesting to you. I know where you can find… _another one of her experiments_. …shall I tell you?"

Lina stared seriously at Xellos. "Tell us." she commanded. "We'd like to find this person."

Xellos clapped his hands together. "Okay then! You see, in the south-eastern portion of Kalmaart, there is a certain forest where Marielle enjoys vacationing sometimes when the summers in Seyruun are too hot. I think you'll be… interested by what you find there." He turned and looked at the clock. "And… it looks like my time is up!"

"Xellos! Wait! Hey!" Lina gasped. "Don't leave just yet! We wanted to ask you more about-"

"Not today. Some other time I'll come by, and let you have more information, and perhaps a lovely tour of the mansion. But this is all I can manage for now. Au revoir!"

Lina frowned indignantly as she watched the Mazoku disappear. "There's just no reasoning with that guy." She sighed. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

There was a long pause.

"…dinner?" Gourry ventured.

Naga sighed, Zelgadis rolled his eyes, and Lina groaned.

But, it was going to be a long evening. They might as well get some food while they could.

* * *

><p>Over dinner, the argument began.<p>

"We should go to northern Lyzeille."

"Well, I think we should go to eastern Kalmaart."

"You trust Xellos?"

"You must trust him too, if you're going to go to Lyzeille."

"That's different."

"How so?"

Naga, Gourry, Phil, and Zara watched the argument between Lina and Zelgadis, as they tried to decide where the group should go. Lina was leaning over the dinner table, jabbing a fork in Zelgadis' direction, and the chimera leaned back, but was not willing to back down.

"Look, they're probably both fine, but we want to know whether it's better to go find her hometown, or find someone she's experimented on." Lina stated, sitting back. "I think it'd be better to find out something from someone she's seen recently- after all, they'd know the most about what she's doing now. Since Naga couldn't give us any decent information…" she glared at Naga.

"Hey! I did my best!" Naga defended.

"Yes, but her hometown would know more about her personally- it would tell us a possibility of _why _she's doing what she's doing." Zelgadis argued, ignoring the exchange between Lina and Naga.

"Well isn't it better to know _what _she's doing rather than _why _she's doing it? After all, the _why _behind it won't really matter if we don't know _what _it is she's doing."

Zelgadis sighed. "Look, Lina… I don't think either of us really wants to give in. As such… maybe we should split up. You, Gourry, and Naga can go to Kalmaart, and I'll go to Lyzeille. That way we can both figure out the information we want."

"What about me?" Zara questioned.

Lina ignored him for the moment. "Hmm… splitting up sounds like a good idea… but…"

"But what?" Zelgadis questioned.

Lina leaned over the table and whispered so low that only Zelgadis with his demonically enhanced hearing could make it out.

"I don't want to take Naga with Gourry and me."

"And me!" Zara petitioned, hearing every word.

"Are you serious?" Zelgadis whispered back.

"Dead serious." Lina nodded.

"I don't want to take her with _me_!" Zelgadis whispered back.

"Well, what are we going to do with her?" Lina asked.

Zelgadis sat back, thinking it over. "We could let her decide. Then whoever she decides to go with can't object."

"I like that." Lina nodded.

"Me too." Zara was trying earnestly not to be ignored, but it didn't seem to be working.

"Yo! Naga!" Lina called across the room.

"What? Have you and rock-face come to a civil conclusion?" Naga asked.

"_Have you two decided, or what?_" Pokota agreed.

"Yeah, we have." Lina nodded. "Gourry and I are going to Kalmaart, and Zel is going to Lyzeille with Pokota."

"Ah! A compromise! Good idea!" Phil exclaimed.

"But what about me?" Zara asked.

"And me? You never mentioned me! Don't leave me out!" Naga snapped. "I am completely determined to rescue Amelia!"

"Zara, it's safer for you to stay here with Phil. We'll be back soon- don't worry. As for you, Naga, we're not going to leave you behind. We just thought that you ought to be able to choose who you want to go with. Wouldn't you rather choose by yourself than be put with a group?" Lina responded.

Zara sulked, but nodded in compliance.

"Oh. Of course. OHOHOHOHO~" Naga laughed, though nothing was really funny.

"So who are you going to travel with?" Zelgadis asked. He felt sure that Naga wouldn't want to travel with him, seeing as though they didn't exactly get along very well.

"Hmm… as much I dislike the rock-faced jerk there… I'm going to have to tag along with him. I want to go where Prince Pokota goes." Naga decided out loud.

"E-excuse me?" Zelgadis gasped. "Y-you're not serious!"

"What do you mean, I'm not serious? I'm very serious!" Naga shot back. "Even if he isn't the adorable little boy I thought him to be, royalty is trustworthy, no matter what! And you, freak, might become a prince in the future, but you certainly aren't one now- so I'm sticking with Pokota!"

Zelgadis glared at Naga angrily, but didn't say anything.

"_No complaints here._" Pokota murmured. "_Even if she is an annoying nuisance…_"

"Hey, I'm not arguing either." Lina said with a smile. She walked over to her companion, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "We'll be fine on our own, won't we, Gourry?"

"Y-yeah! Of course!" Gourry exclaimed with a nod.

Naga sighed. "Of course- and I don't want to go with them anyway. They'd probably keep me up all night."

Lina's face turned a bright red colour. "Wh-what are you talking about? We wouldn't! What kind of people do you think we are?"

"I wouldn't put it past you." Naga shrugged. "Don't you agree, freak?"

Zelgadis shot a very annoyed glare at Naga. "I _really _didn't need that image in my head, but thanks for providing it anyway."

"Zel does not agree with you!" Lina spat.

"But he said he could picture it- meaning it must be quite believable." Naga responded.

Lina raised her hand to slap Naga across the face, but Zara interrupted her. "Lina, what are you talking about?"

Lowering her hand, Lina blushed. "Uh, nothing. We're just joking. Forget about it."

"Yes! Besides, you'll understand it perfectly when you're older! OHOHOHOHOHO~!" Naga laughed.

"Naga! Don't corrupt him!" Lina snarled. "Be quiet!"

"I'm not corrupting him! I just-"

"_Please_, be quiet, both of you!" Zelgadis exclaimed, getting up from the table. "I can't deal with this anymore! None of you are taking this seriously!"

"Zel! Hey! We are taking it seriously!" Lina got up, running after him. "Zel!"

He'd already left the room and Lina stopped at the doorway, crossing her arms indignantly. "He's being far too uptight about all of this."

"He's just worried, Lina. We all are." Gourry replied.

"Well, he doesn't have to be so-"

Lina's sentence was cut off by a loud crash from outside the room. She gasped loudly. "Zel?"

"What's going on?" Gourry asked, jumping up and running after Lina, who had already taken off into the hallway. He found Zelgadis, looking as though he was half passed-out on the floor, with Lina trying to help him up.

"Gosh, what happened to you, Zel?" Lina asked.

Zelgadis began to pick himself up weakly. "S-sorry…" he apologised. "I… uh… my head was hurting, and suddenly I felt dizzy… I'm okay…"

Gourry and Lina rushed to their friend's side, helping to pick him up. Gourry offered a shoulder for the chimera to lean on.

"You're killing yourself here, Zel." Lina scolded. "Honestly, you need to calm down. All this stress is bad for you. You're being so serious about it, that you're just not yourself- and that's saying something for someone like you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Zelgadis asked with a glare, before wincing and grabbing his head again.

"Are you really alright?" Gourry asked examining his friend's face. "You don't look so good."

"I'll be fine... I just... need some sleep. That's all. I'm going to bed." Zelgadis waved them off, walking down the hallway, slightly off-balance

Lina and Gourry watched in concern. "Lina, do you really think he's okay? I guess poor Zelgadis must have been so worried, that he worried himself sick. I've heard of it happening before."

"I don't know if that's the exact reason." Lina said. "When he fell, I could sense something odd. I'm not exactly sure what to call it, though it reminded me of black magic in a way."

"Black magic? You think someone's put a curse on Zel- well, besides that Rezo guy?" Gourry asked curiously.

"I don't know. Maybe it was just a one-time thing. But it makes me worry…"

"He seems sicker than Zara, even." Gourry mentioned.

"That's just because Zara's a natural hybrid, so he's kind of sickly. But a chimera like Zel should be pretty stable… unless…"

"Unless what?" Gourry pressed.

"I've heard a rumour about chimeras, but I've never found out whether it's true or not… I doubt it, though, so explaining it to you might be pointless. It's pretty complicated, Gourry."

"I see..." he sighed. "Oh well. Maybe we're worrying over nothing. Maybe it's just a little headache and it'll all blow over."

"You're quite the optimist, aren't you, Gourry?"

"Well, how else am I supposed to survive all the messes that I get into?" Gourry chuckled in response. "Besides, it's not good to stress over something that might happen. It's too much trouble worrying about the things that _will_."

"Good point. Like... the fact that I _will_ be racing you back to the table for dessert?" Lina mentioned. "And... go!"

"Lina! Hey! Wait for me! Not fair!"

* * *

><p>"Give me a thorough report. Did you corral them in the right direction, Mister Xellos?" Marielle asked. "Seeing as how that strange woman was worthless as an assassin, we need to send my new experiment after them instead. Getting rid of our problems and testing out some hypotheses- killing two birds with one stone, correct?"<p>

"Oh yes." Xellos nodded. "I couldn't lie to them, so I simply twisted the truth a little. They'll fall right into our trap."

Marielle clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh Xellos, you are _so_ good! I am so glad you are nice enough to do things like this for me!"

"I'm only following orders." Xellos shrugged. "I'm working for you, aren't I?"

"But... we have worked together so long, and formed such a strong bond... I feel as though we are friends, you and I." Marielle continued, smiling down from her perch on the platform that held her large velvet chair."Do you not agree?"

"I'm sorry, but I tend not to get too attached to my employers. It is… ah… troublesome."

Marielle frowned looking rather hurt. "Troublesome? That is unfortunate. All this time... I thought that you enjoyed my company."

Xellos shifted slightly, throwing his weight from one foot to the other, as the young girl stared at him with a wistful frown. "Oh, don't get me wrong, Milady. I do enjoy your company. However… the term 'friend' is not one that I am inclined to use. It implies more familiarity than I care to associate with employers. I do apologise."

"Oh, think nothing of it." Marielle replied, though she looked slightly uneasy. "I do understand... I am sure that you shall come 'round eventually... I shall make a friend of you yet. Anyway, tomorrow I plan to continue testing my latest experiment. I shall require a tremendous amount of your help, as it is quite an undertaking. However, you are dismissed for the night."

"Thank you, Milady." Xellos replied, bowing slightly and leaving the room. He murmured to himself as he strode confidently down the hallway. "Make a friend of me, eh? I'd like to see you try…"


	9. Capture

Here is chapter 9. It's mostly the same as before, but I had some fun changing it up a bit... I feel like it's better now. (That's the point of a re-write, right?) So, anyway, I don't own anything related to Slayers, I'm just a fan having some fun writing some fiction. Please enjoy! ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>9- Capture! Not-so-carefree days of travel...<strong>

"Are we there yet? … How about now? … Are we close? … Zelgadis? … Freak? … Are we there yet?"

"DO YOU EVER SHUT UP?" Zelgadis turned around quickly to Naga, who had been pestering him for some time- and after 2 days of travelling, she was really getting on his nerves.

"I'm boooored~." Naga whined.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Zelgadis groaned, putting his face in his hand. He didn't think he could deal with this crazy woman for too much longer.

"Hey, Zelgadis?"

"What?" Zelgadis groaned, not wanting to deal with more of Naga's nonsense.

"Uh… could I ask you a question?"

Zelgadis turned around to his temporary travelling companion, wondering just what she was going to ask. She had sounded so serious- such a different tone from her normal, haughty voice. "Um… alright. What is it?"

Naga seemed to pause for a long moment, before blurting out "Why in the world are you... made of rock?"

"_What_?" Zelgadis stammered. "That's… a long story..."

"Really? Oh, that's great! I love long stories! Tell me! Tell me please!" Naga exclaimed.

"I… um… er… I guess…" Zelgadis stammered awkwardly. He figure it wouldn't hurt. It wasn't like the knowledge was particularly secret or anything. He knew it would probably result in Naga offering some other insult, but he'd learned to ignore them, as the person giving them didn't seem like one whose opinion he valued all that much.

Zelgadis explained the story, going into some rather boring details, hoping that Naga would get tired and stop paying attention. But she was attentive through the whole thing.

"So, that priest guy turned you into a rock, huh?" Naga asked. "Is all of you like that?"

Zelgadis didn't appreciate her bluntness, but he answered anyway. "Yes, of course it is." He waited a few seconds for Naga's response- what he was sure would be some sort of tactless remark.

"Uh… Zelgadis…? Does Amelia hug you?" Naga asked curiously.

The chimera wasn't sure that he'd heard her correctly. "E-excuse me? What?"

"Does Amelia ever give you a hug? Like a big Seyruun-family-style hug? Amelia and Philionel always gave the best hugs."

Zelgadis considered the question for a moment. It added to his trust that she knew the Seyruun family _somehow_, but it puzzled him as to her relationship with them. It seemed to rule out the 'prisoner' theory that he and Pokota had come up with. Well, unless they hugged their prisoners (which, he wouldn't put past Amelia and Phil.)

"Yeah. She does. What about it?" Zelgadis responded, already fearing where Naga was going with this conversation.

"And… do you hug her back?"

This was a trick question, and Zelgadis knew it. Any answer he gave could be subject to harsh criticism from Naga. If he did hug her back, then it was unfortunate for Amelia to be subjected to that, considering the fact that he wasn't totally aware of his own strength. But if he didn't, then poor Amelia would suffer the unfortunate fate of giving affection without receiving it in return. Having thought it over, Zelgadis decided to answer truthfully.

"Sometimes." he said simply. "Not all the time, but... on occasion."

"Oh." Naga nodded, not offering any criticism, much to her travelling companions' relief.

"_Why did you want to know that anyway?_" Pokota asked. "_What business of yours is that?"_

"I was just curious." Naga replied. "So, Zelgadis… how did you and Amelia fall in love?"

"_Again, what business is it of yours?" _Pokota wanted to know.

" It wasn't intentional, that's for sure." Zelgadis added.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" Naga demanded.

"No! You misunderstand!" Zelgadis stammered. "It's not like that! It's just… neither of us were really looking for love! I know I wasn't! But we met through… erm… a _mutual acquaintance_ …_"_

"_You mean Lina?_" Pokota asked.

"Yes, Lina, if you want to give the mutual acquaintance a name. Anyhow, we didn't exactly start off on the right foot, but-"

"She thought you were a freak, didn't she?" Naga asked.

Zelgadis gave a very irritated sigh. "Okay, _yes_, she did. But… we got wrapped up in a huge battle against common enemies… and we became... friends, if you could call it that. I guess… eventually her fun spirit and kind attitude started to grow on me... to put it that way, at least. Later on, after we'd known each other for several years, Phil ended up making me her bodyguard, which I didn't mind _too _much… that was just before we met Pokota."

"_Wow, all that? You guys go way back, don't you? You've known each other way longer than I've known you…" _Pokota murmured.

"I guess you could say that." Zelgadis nodded. "Anyway, after that I started writing to her, and we explored some ruins around Seyruun. We worked together with a good friend of ours, excavating them. He kind of helped us to understand things a bit more... and that's when we really sort of… um…"

"Fell in love?" Naga asked excitedly.

"I guess…" Zelgadis shrugged. "It wasn't too long after that when we got engaged, so yeah. I guess you're right."

Naga was practically sobbing by this point. "Oh~ that's so beautiful~! It's a gorgeous love story, just like Amelia always wanted! I misjudged you, Zelgadis! You really are a sweet person at heart!"

"I… I'm really _not_…" Zelgadis stammered, remembering his old nickname of 'the heartless mystical swordsman.' Since when did he lose it? Was it because of Amelia? Or was it because of something else…?

"But~!" Naga exclaimed, jumping in front of Zelgadis and blocking his passage. "That doesn't change the fact that you're a complete and total _freak_! OHOHOHOHOHO~!"

Zelgadis clenched his teeth, biting back the urge to strangle the life out of Naga, as he knew she'd be useful for finding Amelia later. However, that didn't stop him from being completely annoyed by her the rest of the trip…

* * *

><p>Lina and Gourry, however, were having a wonderful time.<p>

They found a nice restaurant, and had a lovely romantic dinner (well, _they _thought it was romantic- anyone else who watched might have been horrified at the ferocity with which the food was fought over), and they even shared a dessert! Granted, it was a large dessert platter that was meant to feed 16 people… but they shared it nonetheless!

It was mid-summer, and dusk didn't fall until later in the day, so Lina and Gourry had made it pretty far from the town before it got dark. The last moments of sunlight were dwindling as the two exited one of the forests that Kalmaart was famous for, and came upon a big, open field. The two gasped as they saw a huge number of glowing lights, flashing on and off through the assorted plants and wildflowers growing in the large expanse of grass.

"Fire-flies!" Gourry gasped.

"What?" Lina asked.

"I said fire-flies! You know, the little glowing things in the field there! Don't tell me you've never heard of them!"

"You mean lighting bugs?" Lina questioned curiously.

"What are you talking about? I said fire-flies!" Gourry replied.

Lina shook her head incredulously. "I think we're talking about the same thing, just using different terms for it. You mean the little bugs that fly around and light up, right?"

"Yeah! Fire-flies!" Gourry nodded, smiling, glad to be on the same page as Lina.

"Okay. Well, where I come from, these 'fire-flies' are called 'lighting bugs." Lina explained.

"Really? How come?" Gourry asked, finding a nice patch of grass and sitting down. Lina sat down beside him, looking around at all the mesmerising lights.

"Well, my dad always told me stories of when he was a mercenary. He said that some of his friends couldn't use magic- my dad was pretty proficient with black magic- so instead of using lighting spells when it got dark, they'd gather some lighting bugs in a jar, and use that to light their way instead. I always thought that the bugs did look like they were using miniature lighting spells, and everyone I knew called them 'lighting bugs." Lina explained.

"Oh wow! That's cool!" Gourry exclaimed. "Where I come from, we called them 'fire-flies', because, when you're in the desert, they look a little bit like a faraway campfire on the horizon- especially the way they flicker, just like a real fire. Though I've never heard of anyone _catching _them before."

Lina sat back a small distance, her mouth agape. "Y-you mean you've _never _gone lighting bug- er, I mean, fire-fly catching before?"

"Uh… no." Gourry shook his head.

The sorceress stood up quickly, looking around. "We need to get a jar! Something to capture these little guys in! Do you have anything?"

"Uh, I think I do." Gourry stammered, standing up to join Lina. "Why? What's so important about catching them?"

"It's a childhood staple!" Lina shot back. "Every kid has to catch lighting bugs _sometime _in their childhood!"

"Oh, that would explain it!" Gourry said, pounding his fist into his palm, as though he'd just realised something. "I didn't really have a childhood, so-"

"Whaddya mean, you didn't have a childhood? Everyone has a childhood, Gourry!" Lina scolded.

"W-well… technically I did… but it was all training and practicing swordfighting. I never really got to play games, or go to school like normal kids." Gourry admitted sheepishly.

Lina stared at her fiancé for a moment, seeing him with new eyes. She'd never really questioned his past, and he never seemed to want to talk about it, so she didn't pry. She knew that she wouldn't want people asking her about her life before she took to the road, so she basically made it a rule not to specifically inquire about the past life of her companions, unless it was important. She had never even begun to think, however, that Gourry's upbringing had been any different than hers. They were so similar, after all. But no wonder he always acted so childish… it seemed that he was simply trying to make up for a childhood he never had.

"You said… that you never went to school- how'd you learn to read and write? I know you can. And you can count pretty well too." It was going against her rule, but Lina felt that it was important to know.

"Uh, my dad taught me." Gourry shrugged. "He taught me and my brothers everything. He was a _very _reputable swordsman, and he trained us long and hard to develop our skills as well…"

"How many brothers do you have?"

Gourry paused for a moment. "Uh... well... I _had _five..."

"_Had_?"

"Yes."

"Um…" Lina paused awkwardly, knowing that she and Gourry both knew what was coming next. "You… don't have to answer this if you don't want to… but… what happened to them?"

Gourry paused, before finally giving a response. "Oh... y'know... this and that..." He stared back up at Lina with a 'can-we-please-please-please-change-the-subject-now?' look.

Realising she'd gone too far, Lina grabbed Gourry's hand, quickly pulling him to his feet. "Alright then! Good enough! How about you find that container you were talking about, and we use it to catch some 'fire-flies!' That okay, big guy?" She offered him a kind smile, which he thankfully returned.

"O-okay! I think I had some cookies in a jar that I picked up in town earlier, but I don't think it'll be much of a problem for us to finish them off- right?" Gourry offered, grateful to Lina for changing the subject to something else.

"Oh boy! Cookies!" Lina clapped her hands excitedly. "Cookies and lighting bugs! What could be better than this?"

The two ate (and fought over) the remaining cookies, and once the jar was empty, Lina set out to show Gourry how lighting bug catching was done. Handing him the jar and motioning for him to follow, she led him through the field. Sneaking up behind one of the darting lights, Lina lunged and cupped her hands around one.

"I've got him! Hurry, bring the jar over here! You're supposed to have it right there!" Lina instructed. Gourry rushed to her side, and she deposited the insect into the jar that her companion was holding. Snapping the lid on tightly, Gourry observed their new captive.

"Wow~! I've never seen a fire-fly- er, lighting bug so close before!" he gasped.

"Yeah, it's cool, isn't it? My dad and I usually used a net to catch them. Bare hands is a little more difficult, but it works just the same." Lina said.

Gourry looked up, a childish excitement playing in his eyes. "C-can I try to catch one?"

"Of course!" Lina exclaimed. "Give me the jar, and I'll have it ready for you! Okay?"

"Okay! Make sure the one we already have doesn't escape!" Gourry instructed.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that! I've got him!" Lina laughed.

They ran around for some time, catching fireflies together, working as a perfect tag-team to get them into the jar. Lina felt nostalgic, and just a tiny bit homesick at all the memories it pulled up, and Gourry didn't know if he'd ever had so much fun in his life. Finally, when the lights seemed to be dying down somewhat, they both sat down to observe their catch. They had about six or seven fireflies in the jar, moving around in an attempt to find an exit to their clear prison.

"What do we do with them now?" Gourry asked.

"We can keep them for a little while to enjoy them, and then we let them go." Lina replied.

"Hey Lina…" Gourry began, staring at the fireflies, the awe in his eyes still undiminished. "Why do they light up like that?"

"Well, my dad always told me that the boy lighting bugs light up to attract girlfriends." Lina said, giggling slightly at the sound of it. "The girls choose the boy lighting bugs that they think have the best lights. So all the lighting bugs are competing with each other. It's kind of funny, if you think about it!"

"I don't think so. It's actually kind of sad." Gourry commented softly.

Lina looked up at him, puzzledly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… do they just judge them based on their lights? If so, they don't really get to know them. There's more to a person than just the outside… right?"

Lina wondered if Gourry was finding it odd how long she stared at him. He always found the strangest things to point out- she'd _never _thought of it like that before, in all the time she'd spent catching lighting bugs. Gourry seemed to be personifying the little bugs, which Lina had never done. Finally, after some thought, she answered.

"Well… I guess that's what makes people smarter than lighting bugs. The fact that we look at the inside of a person, as well as the outside. And I suppose that's why, when we find the right person, we stay with them our whole lives. Lighting bugs… well… don't do that." Lina shrugged.

It seemed to be a good answer, as Gourry nodded in response. "Well then, I guess that's why I'm glad that I'm a person instead of a fire-fly."

"What are you talking about? I thought you were a jellyfish!" Lina laughed.

"I'm an _honorary _jellyfish!" Gourry corrected.

"That's true." Lina nodded, grinning. "After all, you're smart enough to know an amazing, talented, and beautiful young woman when you've found one."

Gourry blinked and looked around. "Really? I have? Where?"

He didn't have much time to get any farther, as the sole of Lina's boot made contact with his face. "That had better be a joke, you idiot!"

"Ow- yes! Yes! Of course it was a joke! I was just kidding around!" Gourry groaned as he wiped dirt off his face. "Gosh, you have no sense of humour."

"It wasn't funny, Gourry. Apologise."

"If I apologise, will you be nice to me again?"

Lina shrugged her shoulders, sighing in amusement. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Then I'm very sorry for joking around. I didn't realise you wouldn't find it funny." Gourry gave a sincere apology.

"Good enough. You are forgiven." Lina nodded, sitting back down next to him, as though the argument had never happened.

They sat for a long time, staring at their collection of fireflies, talking about all kinds of things- mostly food-related, of course. Eventually, it got later and later, and they finally decided that it was time for them to get some sleep.

"We've got travelling to do tomorrow, so we'd better get sleep while we can." Lina said. "Gourry, do you want to set the lighting bugs loose?"

"Oh boy! I'd love to!" Gourry replied with a big smile. He grabbed the jar and ran further into the field with it, taking the lid off. "Fly free, little guys!" he called, waving at the fireflies that were quickly making their way out of the jar. "Go find yourselves some girlfriends!"

Lina giggled, listening to Gourry talking to the lighting bugs. It was hysterical- Gourry never stopped being able to make Lina laugh.

Setting up her own sleeping bag on a nice, flat area, Lina began to remove her outer clothing- her cape and shoulder armour, as well as gloves and boots. She'd been ignoring the temperature in all the fun, but it was now she realised that it was _really _hot. Too hot for all this gear- no wonder she'd gotten tired easily that day. Lina even removed her headband, using it to wipe sweat off her forehead. "Geez, I know it's summer and everything, but it's too hot! It's night-time, after all."

Lina turned and found that Gourry was staring at her. She wouldn't get mad if he was just looking, but he was _staring_. Realising what she'd been doing, Lina blushed, and started yelling at him.

"H-hey! Quit staring at me, you pervert! You look like you expect me to take off more than this! You know I'm not going to!" she tossed a pair of gloves at her companion angrily.

"I wasn't staring! What's there to stare at, anyway?"

"Is that an insult?" Lina's eyes flashed dangerously.

"No, of course not! You know I wouldn't insult you, Lina!" Gourry quipped quickly in self-defence.

"Good." Lina nodded. "I'd think that, after all this time, you'd know better."

"Of course, of course..." Gourry murmured to himself.

* * *

><p>A pair of deep blue eyes watched the two as they fell asleep, a shrill voice echoing in her head.<p>

"_Ah, Mister Xellos was right. The two lovebirds have, indeed, walked right into our trap. I suppose we should leave them alone for the night- killing them while they are asleep might be easier, however I feel that they should be sufficiently reprimanded for the danger they have posed to my experiment. You shall ambush them in the morning- is that clear?"_

"M-Miss Marielle…" the tiny voice choked in response. "I-is this really necessary…?"

"_Do not worry about such things, my dear. If this succeeds, then I will have accomplished the first objective of my project, and you will officially become my most successful experiment. Does that not sound exciting?_"

The girl didn't respond to Marielle's harsh words of comfort, staring in horror at the sword clutched in her hands. It was a weapon that she never wanted to use, and she wanted more than anything to throw it away in repulsion. But her body wouldn't follow her orders- only Marielle's. She _couldn't _toss the sword away. She _couldn't _run toward her friends and tell them that their lives were in danger. She couldn't even cry.

"Miss Lina… Mister Gourry… _please_ be careful…"


	10. Dreadful surprises

(I'm sorry to be so behind... I'm really apologising to myself more than anyone else, as I'm probably the only one who really cares about the difference between Thursday and Saturday... Oh well. I hope you enjoy the story nonetheless. As per usual, I don't own Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction! ^_^)

* * *

><p><strong>10- Dreadful surprises! A virtuous enemy?<strong>

By the next day, Pokota said that he was fully prepared to tie Naga to a tree somewhere and leave her there. Zelgadis made sure to stay clear of any cliffs, saying that the temptation to push her off would be too great. Naga, of course, was oblivious to all of it, as she was too busy listening to herself talk.

"_I don't know how much more of this I can take. This girl is insane_!" Pokota whispered.

"You're telling me!" Zelgadis grumbled. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk so much in my life."

"_Hey, maybe she'll run out of things to talk about before we get to Lyzeille._" Pokota offered.

"I should hope so." Zelgadis nodded. "I mean, I'd take Lina over _this _nutjob any day, and that's saying something!"

"…so you know what I did? I slapped the guy right back! I wasn't going to let some jerk have the last laugh! OHOHOHOHO~!"

Zelgadis covered his sensitive ears against her laughter. "Just a quick question, but do you ever stop talking?" he asked pointedly.

Naga gave him an incredulous look. "Now how much fun would that be? None!"

Zelgadis buried his face into his palm, too annoyed to say anything else to her. "Honestly Pokota," the chimera whispered. "what are we going to do with her?"

He waited for a response, but there was none. "Pokota?"

...nothing. Just the steady drone of Naga's voice, which Zelgadis was learning to tolerate. "…Pokota? You there?"

There was more silence- from Pokota, at least.

"Naga! Quit talking for a second! I can't hear Pokota!" Zelgadis snapped.

"What do you mean, you can't hear Pokota?" Naga demanded, not wanting anything to happen to the person she had dubbed 'her little prince buddy,' a name which Pokota deeply abhorred.

"I mean that he's not responding to anything I say! Hey, Pokota! You still there?"

"LITTLE PRINCE POKOTA BUDDY~! SAY SOMETHING TO YOUR DEAR FRIEND NAGA!" the woman screamed loudly.

"You're never going to get a response out of him like that." Zelgadis scolded.

"B-but what am I supposed to do? He's my little Pokota buddy!" Naga wailed. "POKOTA~!"

There was no response from the crystal, and the two shot each other a concerned glance. Zelgadis looked around, and finally began to talk again. "M-maybe he-"

"_Zelgadis! Naga!_"

Naga gasped in elation. "Oh, my little prince buddy! You're okay! How could you disappear like that? What happened?"

"_I got distracted... there were people talking near the jar.. and... L-Lina… Gourry…_" Pokota stammered.

"What are you talking about?" Zelgadis demanded, a look of consternation passing over his face. Whatever Pokota was saying, it didn't sound good.

"_A trap! It's a trap! Marielle tricked them!_" Pokota gasped.

"T-tricked them?" Zelgadis exclaimed. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"_Xellos' claims that they could find information in Kalmaart- It was a ploy to get them to walk into Marielle's trap! Xellos said that someone Marielle had experimented on before was there, right? I don't know who it is, but apparently it's an assassin and is out to kill the two of them!_"

"Wh-whaaaat?" Naga gasped. "I-it can't be!"

"Well we've got to do something!" Zelgadis exclaimed. "Darn that Xellos and his roundabout methods! I knew it had to be a trap!"

"But what do we do?" Naga gasped. "We can't go bail them out! We've been travelling for three days in opposite directions! It would take almost a week for us to find them, and by then they'd be toast!"

"_I think they'll be able to take care of themselves… I hope…_" Pokota murmured. "_But we have no idea what Marielle's got up her sleeve, or what she did to this person that she experimented on… should we go find them?_"

"We could either continue northwest to Lyzeille and leave Lina and Gourry to defend themselves against whatever Marielle sends their way… or we could turn due east toward Kalmaart, knowing that we can't reach them in time, but might be able to help anyway…" Zelgadis reasoned. "What should we do?"

"_I could keep an ear in on things, just to see what's going on. If something bad happens, I could let you know, and then you'd be able to go find them. Do you think that'd be good?" _Pokota asked.

"But then if something drastic did happen, we'd be farther away, and have to travel longer to get to them… and it might be too late…"

"So should we stay where we are?" Naga asked, looking very confused.

"This is so confusing…" Zelgadis growled. "If we stayed here longer, and nothing happens, then we'll feel really unproductive…"

"_We don't have the time to be indecisive!_" Pokota exclaimed.

"I have an idea!" Naga yelled. "How about my buddy Pokota and I continue on toward Lyzeille, and Zelgadis can go back toward Kalmaart, to see what he can do for Lina and Gourry!"

Zelgadis sighed. "I suppose that might work…"

"_W-wait! You're not going to leave me alone with her, are you? You're the one who needs to know what's happening, if you're going after Lina and Gourry!" _

"But I need to know what's going on, or I won't know whether I need to turn around and come help you guys!" Naga protested.

Zelgadis frowned. "It seems that there's not enough Pokota to go around."

"_Well what am I supposed to do about it?_" Pokota demanded. "_I'm only one person, you know!_"

"Ooh! Ooh! I have another idea! What if we cut the jewel in half, that way we could both talk to Pokota?" Naga asked.

"_Having my brain bombarded by sound from three different locations? That sounds like it might be a bit too much of a sensory overload…_" Pokota said.

"And not to mention that breaking the crystal might terminate the link we have with Pokota already. That would be disastrous, wouldn't it?" Zelgadis mentioned pointedly.

"Well, we won't know until we try, now will we?" Naga exclaimed. She pulled the crystal out of Zelgadis' hand and swiped his sword from its holster on his hip.

"H-hey! Don't you dare _touch _my sword!" Zelgadis growled, but his words were in vain. Naga threw the crystal up into the air and slashed the sword across it, cutting it into two even pieces. She caught them in her hand and smiled, handing the sword back to Zelgadis.

"See? I did it." she stated.

"NAGA, YOU IDIOT!" Zelgadis yelled, swiping the sword back in anger. "P-Pokota, can you still hear us? Can you?"

"_Yeah, I can still hear you._" the voice replied back. "_Thank goodness. It'd be waaay too lonely in this jar if I didn't have you to talk to._"

"Yay! You see? It did work!" Naga exclaimed.

"That was still highly irresponsible!" Zelgadis snapped. "And we don't even know whether Pokota can communicate through both halves of the jewel."

"Then let's test it out! I'll take one half and walk this way, and you take the other half and walk the other! Then we'll see if he really can talk to both of us!" Naga exclaimed.

Zelgadis sighed, not knowing any better option, and walked a short distance away. He waited for a few moments, until Naga was out of sight, and then began talking to the crystal in his hand.

"Hey, Pokota? Can you still hear me?" Zelgadis waited a bit more, with no response. "Pokota?"

Still, no response.

"Ugh, so maybe it didn't work after all…" he murmured angrily. "Pokota, are you the-"

"_YES! YES! I'M TRYING TO LISTEN TO YOU, AND LISTEN TO NAGA, AND TALK TO YOU, AND TALK TO NAGA, ALL AT THE SAME TIME! AAAAAAGH! MY HEAD_!"

"Oh." Zelgadis sighed. "Should've known that this would happen."

"Zelgadis! It works! Now we can split up!" Naga yelled, running over.

"Fine." Zelgadis replied. "But I want to continue toward Lyzeille. You can head back and find Lina and Gourry."

"Wh-what? But that's the totally opposite of what I had originally-"

"Do you want t split up or not?"

Naga paused for a moment and sighed. "Fine. I'll go back and see if I can find Lina and Gourry. You keep going toward Lyzeille… and I guess we can keep in touch using Pokota."

"_Geez! I don't think I've ever been so insulted in my life! First I'm just some object that can be fought over and then divided in half… and now I'm nothing more than a mode of communication? You two really know how to make a guy feel good about himself, you know?_"

"I'm so sorry, my little prince Pokota buddy! You know I really do like you!" Naga exclaimed.

"Sorry, Pokota." Zelgadis replied. "We don't mean to make you feel bad. You know that."

"_Yeah, yeah. I know_." Pokota sighed. "_Let's just get going…_"

* * *

><p>Gourry and Lina continued their travels that morning rather silently. It wasn't that they didn't have anything to say, it was just that they didn't feel that they needed to say anything. It was an amiable silence, and one that neither of them particularly disliked.<p>

Gourry was the first to break the silence, staring at their surroundings curiously. "Erm… where are we again?"

"For the last time, this is Kalmaart." Lina said. "And we're getting close to where Xellos mentioned… oh, I wish he'd been more specific! I've got no idea where the heck we're supposed to be! Plus this forest is so thick… Perhaps we need to get a map and-"

"LINA! OUT OF THE WAY!"

Gourry grabbed Lina and pulled her to the side, the two of them tumbling down into the grass beside the tree that Lina had just been leaning on. A sword had been sliced across the tree in a swift motion that Lina hadn't noticed, and Gourry himself almost missed.

"What the heck…?" she murmured.

"P-please… r-r-run away…" a familiar, terrified voice stammered. Lina and Gourry both looked up in astonishment.

"Amelia?" they both gasped.

The princess stood opposite her friends, clasping the sword tightly. She was moving toward them, but at a slow pace, as she seemed to be struggling against it.

"Amelia! We found you! We've been looking all over for you, trying to rescue you from that 'Marionette' girl!" Gourry exclaimed.

"The name is 'Marielle." Lina corrected.

"Y-you should… be m-m-more interested.. in r-rescuing… y-yourselves… right n-now…" Amelia choked, moving steadily closer to the couple, sword still in hand.

"Amelia, what are you doing?" Lina gasped, as she suddenly was forced to dodge another strike from her friend's weapon.

"I-It's not m-me… It's M-Marielle… she's got c-control… I'm j-just a puppet!" Amelia managed to choke out before sending another attack toward her friends.

Lina and Gourry both managed to dodge again, but just barely. "A puppet?" Lina gasped. "That's impossible!"

"I-It's true…" Amelia said. "S-s-she can s-see everything th-that's going on…"

"What? Can she hear too? In that case, I've got a message for you, Marielle you low-life jerk! You may think you're such a pretty, aristocratic princess, but you're nothing but a scumbag who preys on innocent people for your own twisted pleasure! You hear me?" Lina yelled angrily.

"She c-can't hear y-you…" Amelia choked. "She c-can only see-" With a scream, Amelia's sentence was cut off as she picked up the sword and began striking quickly and accurately against the friends that she was now forced to treat as enemies. Gourry had to pull out his own metal sword- one he had made and carried around for when the situation didn't call for the replica Sword of Light.

Gourry barred Amelia's attacks, though it was obvious that he was only acting defensively. He did his best to keep Amelia's strikes from hitting their marks, while making sure never to leave a scratch on the princess herself- a difficult task for sure. Gourry was an adept swordsman, and completely up to the task, but even so, there was only so much that he could do acting solely in defensive-mode.

"Amelia, I don't know how long I can keep this up!" Gourry panted, still blocking attacks.

"Th-then run, M-Mister Gourry! Don't w-w-worry about m-me!"

Lina seemed to be running circles around the two, paying rapt attention to the magic that was being used. "Gourry! Can you keep her busy just a little bit longer? I'm trying to pinpoint what kind of magic Marielle is using to control her! If I can figure it out, I can cast a Flow Break, and maybe get her out of this mess!" Lina called.

"You've got it, Lina!" Gourry yelled back.

"I-It's no use, Miss L-Lina!" Amelia choked. "It's n-not a normal s-spell! It's m-m-more like… she's c-controlling me p-physically!"

"Physically?" Lina gasped. How in the world _was _Marielle controlling Amelia? Lina knew that Marielle was apparently being experimental, but she was sure that there must be _some_ sort of conventional method involved. Had Marielle stumbled upon some sort of other method of control that Lina had never encountered? If that was true, then getting Amelia back to normal would be no easy task…

"Fine, then! Gourry, step back- let me have a turn! If this is more physical than magical, then I'll have to use physical strength rather than magic to help her!"

"What? Lina, that's dangerous-" Gourry began, but Lina shoved him aside. Amelia obediently struck out toward the sorceress, however Lina grabbed Amelia's wrists. Amelia was strong, and Marielle's control made her stronger, so it was nearly impossible for Lina to keep the princess' arms from swinging the sword any further. Still, Lina wouldn't give up.

"Amelia! You've got to snap out of this! Come on!" Lina shouted.

The yelling and physical restraint did nothing to lessen the control that Marielle had exerted over Amelia, and the princess overcame Lina's grip, slashing forward in a strike that Lina almost didn't have time to dodge. Jumping back several feet, Lina clenched her teeth angrily.

"Dang it! I couldn't do anything- and she nearly took my arm off!"

"What do we do now? Run?" Gourry asked.

"We can't run! As Amelia's friends, we can't abandon her! I'm going to keep trying!" Lina yelled.

"M-Miss Lina! Y-you're only g-going to g-get h-h-hurt!" Amelia sobbed. "P-Please run!"

But Lina was determined- and it was extremely difficult to get through Lina's determination once she had decided something. "I refuse to let you be a puppet!" Lina screamed, grabbing Amelia by the arms once more. Amelia struggled to make it out of the grip, but her friend was even more determined now than she had been, and wouldn't be overpowered so easily.

Trying a different approach, Lina appealed to her friend's deepest emotions. "Amelia, Zel has been doing everything he can to help you! He loves you, and can't bear to see the horrible things that Marielle is doing to you and Pokota! Just think about him!"

"I-I… I…" Amelia stammered. "I know! I-I love him too! Tell him th-that, please! B-but this s-spell… or whatever i-it is… is i-impossible to b-break…!"

"It's not impossible! It can't be!" Lina protested. "I'm going to rescue you if it's the last thing I-"

"MISS LINA!"

Amelia's strength coupled with Marielle's control finally managed to overcome the sorceress' grip once more, and this time, there was no escaping the sharp blade of the sword. It slashed just below Lina's shoulders, cutting deep and scratching across her right cheek, while driving the sorceress back a long distance. Lina slammed back-first into a tree, coughing up a spurt of blood before falling unconscious on the ground.

"LINA~!" Gourry shrieked in dismay, rushing to her side. He reached a hand out, slightly afraid to touch her, because moving her might disrupt any possible internal injuries. But as he observed the sheer amount of damage, he realised that something had to be done quickly or there was going to be trouble.

Gourry picked up Lina in his arms, cradling her gently and wrapping her long, purple cape around her shoulders in an attempt to stop the bleeding. His mind was racing, but he wasn't sure what to do.

"Amelia!" he exclaimed, eyeing the princess who was doing everything she could not to move from that one spot. "Since I'm guessing that you can't cast a healing spell while you're like that, I've got to find a healer! You've got to know where one is! _Please!_"

"I-I've visited this area a-a long t-time ago... Th-th-there should b-be one… d-due north… of here…" Amelia choked, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, M-Miss Lina… I-I'm so… so…"

Gourry glanced at the sky, noting the position of the sun, trying to figure out which way was north. He turned to run, but suddenly twirled back toward his friend. "Amelia, are you going to be alri-"

"I'm fine! S-save Miss L-Lina!" Amelia shrieked as she lost control again and started toward the couple. "P-Please run!"

Gourry didn't have to think twice. He ran to the north as fast as his legs could carry him and Lina, not even daring to look back.

_Poor Amelia! Zelgadis is going to hate my guts for abandoning her like this… but if I don't do something, and fast, who knows what might happen to Lina? _

* * *

><p>"Well... this is a... strange turn of events..." Marielle murmured softly to herself.<p>

"What happened?" Xellos asked.

"I certainly did not expect this... it is interesting, but I cannot say that it is a particularly beneficial turn of events..."

"Hey, come on! Tell me what's happened!" Xellos whined.

"Thus far as I have seen," Marielle stated. "the sorceress is dead."

Xellos seemed to twitch involuntarily at his boss' words, looking somewhat displeased. "Dead? Really?"

"That is correct. Also, it seems as though the swordsman has turned tail and run. Given his past reputation, I would never have expected this of him. But, of course, since he is taking the sorceress with him, that means I will not get my jewellery back. Pity." Marielle sat down in her chair with a pouting face, hugging Pokota's inanimate plush body tightly. She might have appeared to be a very adorable little girl… if she weren't talking about killing people.

"W-what is to be done?" Jetta stammered. "Sh-should we... I mean... if the damage is already done, perhaps the swordsman will not come back, and... we could just leave him alone..."

"No! We must pursue him!" Marielle stood up. "We must-"

"We must not."

Marielle and Jetta turned around to Xellos quickly. "Excuse me? You dare to interrupt me and defy my orders?"

"I'm not defying your orders. I'm just giving you my professional opinion as to the best course of action."

"Are you trying to tell me that you think my orders are not the best course of action in this situation? Do not forget your place, Xellos." Marielle stared at the Mazoku defiantly.

"Of course I'm not forgetting my place, Lady Marielle." Xellos assured her. "I'm just trying to help you. You have nothing to worry about if you truly have killed the sorceress." '_Though I do..._' he added silently to himself. "Leave the swordsman alone, and do not traumatise your experiment any more than necessary. Don't you agree to this, Miss Jetta?"

Jetta took a step back meekly. "I... agree." She quickly continued. "-Though, you should do whatever pleases you most, sister dearest."

Marielle's expression tightened, and she gave a slight nod. "Of course. Well, I suppose that we can call this experiment a success and continue with our other goals. Now all I need to do is finish the last part of my experiment with Poko-chan, and phase 1 of the experiment shall be completed…" She walked over to a shelf and picked up the jar that she had used to experiment on Pokota, eyeing it carefully. "With Prince Posel here," she whispered softly to the jar. "and with that troublesome sorceress finally dead, there is nothing to stop my goal from becoming reality. Too bad our friend Rezo couldn't be here to share in our glory..."

"_...huh?_" Pokota murmured, but without the communication gem, he was not heard at all.

"What did you say, ma'am?" Xellos asked.

"Nothing of your concern. We continue the experiments on the stuffed animal tomorrow. For now, I am going to take a walk." She placed the jar back on the shelf and left the room. Jetta and Xellos were left, staring in confusion.

"Well, that was fast. I guess she had a lot on her mind that she had to sort though." Xellos shrugged. "I guess this means that I have the rest of the day off, then. Right, Lady Jetta?"

Jetta looked around uneasily. "Yes... but..."

"Hmm? Something wrong?"

"I..." the young woman wrung her hands nervously. "Mister Xellos, I... I have known you longer than she has... and... I need to ask you... there is something important that I... well..."

Xellos eyes opened in surprise. "You're being awfully direct. What's on your mind?"

"Um... it is about my sister... er, Marielle, I mean..." She turned away and bit her lip. "The thing is... I have been thinking lately... and it seems to me that... well..."

"Yes?" Xellos pressed.

"Ah... that is..." Jetta turned around so that she would not have to look at Xellos. "...do you... _really_... think that disobeying the Red Priest's orders was the right thing to do?"

Xellos stared at the girl who had turned her back to him, as though seeing her a young child again. "Miss Jetta... that was years and years in the past. Surely you're not still questioning an action that took place such a long time ago."

"I know, I know... it's just... I want to know if you still feel the way you did back then."

Xellos took a step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yes. I do." He turned her around so that she was facing him again, and leaned closer to her. "Miss Jetta, you are important to me, and I would _never _lead you somewhere I didn't want you to go. Is that understood?"

Jetta took a deep breath and nodded as she stared at Xellos.

"Yes. I understand. Thank you, Mister Xellos."

"Good." Xellos smiled. "Now, run along and get working on... whatever it is you like to do. I've got plans for the evening."

"You will not stay for dinner?" Jetta questioned.

"Well, if you wish to invite me, I'd be honoured to return in time."

A small smile spread across the young woman's face. "Yes, that would be lovely."

"Then I shall return, if your invitation truly is sincere." Xellos smiled and bowed. "Until then, my dear."

Jetta's smile grew, and she gave a polite curtsy before running off. Xellos just watched her go in amusement.

"Wow..." he murmured. "Tell a girl that she's important to you, and you can make her believe anything." The Mazoku chuckled to himself. "We can't have Jetta backing out of this experiment now."

He ran a hand through his hair and turned back around.

_You are important, though, Miss Jetta... important to me, Lord Beastmaster, and quite possibly the entire Mazoku race. You and Marielle have, in your hands, the key to everything we have always wanted. You just can't ever know it, or it will destroy all of our plans..._

"But now I've got to go check on my _other _important human... just to make sure she really isn't dead, of course."

* * *

><p>Zelgadis had been travelling on his own since the night before, and was enjoying the peace and quiet of being separated from Naga. However, the quiet had him thinking only of Amelia, and it was painful- not to mention further bouts with the intense headaches that had been plaguing him lately. It was almost afternoon, and after an uneventful morning, a loud shout from Pokota was the last thing he expected.<p>

"_ZELGADIS_!"

"Waah~!" The chimera nearly fell over in surprise. "P-Pokota! Don't do that! You're going to give me a heart attack!"

"_N-no_…" Pokota panted. "_You've_ _got to listen… Marielle… Rezo... that assassin… Lina and Gourry… they… she_…"

"Pokota, you're not making any sense!" Zelgadis said frantically. "Tell me what happened!"

"_L-Lina_…" Pokota stammered. "..._something's happened to Lina_!"

"_WHAT?_"

* * *

><p>(AN: Probably the biggest change in the older version and the re-written version is Jetta. She's... well... if you had read the other version, it's pretty apparent what a drastic change there is in her behaviour... Now I actually know what I'm planning to do with her, so I can give her a personality. ...true story. O_O)


	11. Recovering perceptions

I need to get serious about finishing this thing... Work, GP3, work! ...As per the usual disclaimer, I don't own anything regarding Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Do enjoy! Thanks so much for reading!

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><p><strong>11- Recovering perceptions; How do we fix this mess?<strong>

"Pokota, you're not making any sense!" Zelgadis said frantically. "Tell me what happened!"

"_L-Lina_…" Pokota stammered. "…_something's happened to Lina_."

"_WHAT?_" Zelgadis choked. "Wh-what do you mean? What's happened to Lina?"

"_I mean that... well... Marielle created an experiment that she used as an assassin to hunt Lina and Gourry down… and whoever it was, Marielle thinks that they killed Lina_!"

"Y-you've got to be kidding me! That's impossible! Lina… she's… I don't know… immortal, or something!" Zelgadis gasped.

"_That's what I thought at first_!" Pokota agreed. Lina Inverse was the kind of person that you would consider on par with creatures such as Mazoku. She had always gone out and destroyed those who seemed stronger than she was- and _always _lived through it. It was nearly impossible to think that she could be brought down by just a simple assassin. "_B-but… she sounded like it was the real deal_..." Pokota sighed.

Zelgadis' shock quickly turned to horror as he realised that Pokota was dead serious. He felt a sudden, heart-wrenching pang of anguish for his swordsman friend. "Wh-what about Gourry? What's happened to Gourry in all of this?"

"_Marielle said that Gourry managed to get away… she was upset because he took Lina's body with him and she couldn't get her jewellery back…_"Pokota murmured, nearly choking on the words.

"Gourry… _poor Gourry_…" Zelgadis murmured, thinking to himself about how things had suddenly changed. _I thought he was lucky when he had Lina and I didn't have Amelia… but now… at least I know Amelia is alive…_

"_Zelgadis! I've got to tell Naga what's happened as well! I think it'd be a good idea for you to head back and find her._" Pokota exclaimed, trying his best not to panic further.

"R-right. And then we've got to find Gourry." Zelgadis nodded. "If this is true, then he needs us more than anything right now…"

* * *

><p>"Oh please, Lina! Don't die! You can't die on me! Not now!"<p>

Gourry was probably only running for ten or fifteen minutes, but it seemed like hours on end before he found what he was looking for. He caught sight of a building out of the corner of his eye, and ran as fast as he could to knock on the door, fearing the fact that he'd almost missed it.

Several seconds seemed like several more hours before Gourry's knocking drew someone to the door. A short, older woman opened the door and let out a slight gasp as she observed the two.

"P-please, ma'am… I don't know whether you're a healer, or you know where one is, but she needs help, and quickly!" Gourry choked.

The woman saw the blood that had soaked slightly through the cape- though not very visible against the dark fabric. It was clear that the wounds were deep and what the swordsman had said about the girl needing help was right. As it was a healer's duty to care for a person first and ask questions later, the woman took charge right away.

"My clinic hasn't been open for a long time, but I am a trained healer, and I'll do what I can for her. Please, can you bring her inside? I have a bed that she can use." the woman gestured for Gourry to follow her into the house, and he was quick to follow.

The house was old, and one large room attached to the side seemed as though it had not been used in a while. Once inside, it was clear that the room had been used at one point as a clinic, as there were several beds provided for patients. Gourry very gently and carefully placed Lina into one, as the woman began to speak to him again.

"I need to know how these injuries occurred. Who is she and what happened?"

Gourry stammered in response, not sure what to say. "Sh-she's my fiancé… we… were attacked… and she… uh, she got hit… with a sword… so… I came here…"

"A sword injury? That's good to know. I'll try to get her into a stable condition, and then we can figure out what needs to be done from there. Do you want to stay in the room, or wait outside and-"

"I-I'll wait outside. I'd just be in your way." Gourry said quickly. He knew that Lina needed help from a professional, and that, as her protector, there was nothing more he could do for her but leave her in the capable hands of an experienced healer.

Gourry retreated to the small clearing outside the house. It seemed as though it had once been a busy clinic for travellers who came by that way, but perhaps the building of a new road caused people to stop visiting, or perhaps the aging of the healer forced her to close it. Whatever the reason, it was good that he'd found the place, thanks to Amelia's help. Everything would be alright now... right?

Pulling out his metal sword, Gourry attempted to release his frustration and anxiety by practicing his technique. Trees made good targets, though he made sure to stay away from small ones that he might accidentally slice all the way through. Over and over he struck out at his motionless targets, leaving clear-cut marks on the bark of the trees. It was tiring, but it got his mind off the situation, and that was all that mattered.

He wasn't keeping track of the time, so Gourry had no idea how much time had passed before the older woman came out of the house looking for him. He froze, unable to decipher what had happened from her facial expression. She wasn't smiling, which couldn't be a good sign, but her expression wasn't pained either, so there must have been some hope left.

"Ah, there you are." she said, seeing Gourry with his metal sword in hand.

"M-ma'am… is she… alright?" Gourry asked hesitantly.

"The girl?" the woman replied. "Oh yes. She'll be fine. You needn't worry about her now."

"Thank goodness…" the swordsman breathed a sigh of relief. "I… was so worried that she… she might…"

"You were right to worry. That was a very deep wound. It was good that you stopped the bleeding, but having clothing in contact with open wounds like that is a deadly infection just waiting to happen. It's a good thing you got her to me when you did. You saved her life- you know that?"

Gourry froze as he heard how serious the situation could have been and how disastrous his actions might have become. His first instinct had been to stop the bleeding, and had never even _thought _about preventing the wound from being infected. Still, the woman said that he had saved Lina's life, which was the greatest compliment that a protector could possibly be given.

"Th-thank you ma'am… f-for everything! If anything ever happened to Lina, I don't know what I'd do…"

The woman gave an understanding smile. "That girl means everything to you, doesn't she?"

Gourry flushed and nodded slightly. "Y-yeah… so thank you again… c-can I go see how she's doing?"

"Of course." the woman gestured for Gourry to follow her inside. "And then I'd like to speak with you about what happened. I don't even know who you are."

"O-oh yeah! Right!" Gourry nodded. He was amazed at the woman's kindness in caring for a total stranger that she'd never met. It reminded him slightly of the healers he knew. People like Amelia and Sylphiel would never leave a wounded person, even if they had no idea who the person was. He figured that it must be in their nature somehow- perhaps it was sort of a requirement for healers.

Gourry stared at Lina as he came into the clinic area of the house. She was still lying in the bed that he had placed her in, though not in the same position. Most of Lina's accessories had been removed, like her armour and cape. The only remaining accessory was the crystal necklace that she had been given by Marielle, and it puzzled Gourry as to why it hadn't been removed as well. Her shoulder had been bandaged along with the side of her face that had been hit as well, and she looked rather pale. Still, she wasn't bleeding any more, and Gourry could easily see the even rise and fall of her chest that told him she was alive. He stroked her hair slightly, staring down at the girl.

"Do you know how long it might be before she wakes up?" he asked the healer.

"It could be anywhere from a few hours to an entire day. There's no way to know for sure."

"I see…" Gourry murmured. "Th-then… could we talk in here? I want to be here for her when she wakes up."

"Of course we can." the old woman smiled. "Why don't you get a chair- I'll do the same. Alright?"

"Thank you." Gourry replied.

* * *

><p>"Gourry… did you realise that the necklace Lina is wearing is actually a Healer's Gem?"<p>

"A… a what?" Gourry gasped.

"A Healer's Gem. It's a gemstone that has been imbued with a potent amount of white magic that can act as a healing agent if the person wearing it is injured or sick." the woman replied. "I wasn't there, but the information that you've provided me with about this attack seems to show the power of this gem. It wouldn't have saved her life had the wound been fatal, but I think she's gotten off much easier than she would have if she didn't have that gem in her possession."

Gourry had told the woman the whole story behind the attack- how their friend had been kidnapped, and how they were trying to rescue her when they were lied to and attacked. The healer admitted that it was probably the most complicated back-story of any of the injuries she'd treated in her long lifetime.

"I had no idea… but I guess it's a good thing that she had it on, right?" Gourry asked.

"A very good thing. I'm sure of it." the healer nodded. "But it's getting late. Are you going to stay with her now? I don't exactly have a guest room that you could sleep in tonight, but you're welcome to take another one of the beds here- or if that doesn't appeal to you, there is also a large couch in the living room-"

"I'll be fine here." Gourry said, motioning to the chair. "I don't really want to get up and leave. Not until she wakes up, at least."

The healer smiled. "That's fine, then. You may stay here as long as you like. At the moment, there's nothing more to do for her but let her rest and give her body time to heal itself, but please- if there's any changes in her condition, good or bad, would you let me know at once?"

"I will." Gourry nodded. "I promise."

He sat with Lina for the rest of the evening, patiently waiting for any sign that she might be returning to consciousness. Eventually, he decided to lay his head down on the bed, feeling his own consciousness slipping away from him. It was getting late, after all. So much had happened in the day- was it just last night when they had been chasing fireflies, happy and carefree?

Gourry was half-asleep already, and so he wondered if he was dreaming when he heard Lina beginning to stir. He realised that it wasn't a dream, and was suddenly alert. "L-Lina?" he gasped.

Lina groaned slightly, opening her eyes and looking over at her companion. "Gour…ry?" she murmured.

"Lina! You're awake! Oh, thank goodness!" Gourry exclaimed happily.

"Wh-what the…? Where… are we…? I thought for a minute that I was dead… but then I realised that it hurt too much for me to be dead…" Lina replied.

"You're not dead! Don't think that for a second!" Gourry scolded.

"I won't, I promise! I wouldn't die so easily! You know me, Gourry!" Lina assured him with a smile. She attempted to sit up, but winced in pain and fell back down again.

"I wouldn't try to move too much, if I were you!" Gourry said quickly.

"I'm fine- just help me sit up, would you?" Lina replied. She managed to prop herself up against the pillow so that she could converse better. "Anyway… what happened to Amelia?"

"I… I had to leave her behind."

"YOU WHAT? YOU IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?"

Lina winced in pain again from her outburst, but the anger in her eyes was apparent.

"Lina! I didn't _want _ to leave her! But I was afraid that if I didn't do something, you were going to _die_! Amelia told me to run- so I did! At that particular moment, _you _needed help more than she did!" Gourry shot back. "I could _never _let you die!"

Lina seemed to be slightly shocked at her companion's harsh words, but she could tell by looking at him that they were driven by worry and pain, not by anger. Her expression softened, and she sighed. "Well… in any case, thank you. I guess… I owe you one for that. I apologise for yelling… I'm just irritable because I'm injured."

"Of course, Lina. You had a right to be mad at me. I abandoned our friend and I hate it because I shouldn't have… but she wasn't going to die if I left her. You were. And it was all my fault for not preventing this from happening. If I could have protected you the way I was supposed to…"

"Now you're just being dumb! Look, Gourry- you couldn't have prevented that! It was my fault, and nothing you said could have stopped me! You've got to realise sometime the limits of what you can make me do. Okay?"

Gourry nodded. "Thanks, Lina. I'll remember that. But for now… let's stop focusing on the past and pay attention to the present. How do you feel?"

Lina crossed her arms very gently over her chest. "Frustrated." she answered.

"That's not really what I meant by that…" Gourry murmured. "But why?"

"It's because I couldn't do anything for Amelia. I'm not sure what Marielle did, but whatever method she was using to control Amelia was not a method that I'm familiar with."

"So it's something you've never encountered before?" Gourry gasped in astonishment.

"Yeah, it is. I was just as clueless as to how to fix is as you were." Lina replied.

"And that's saying something!" Gourry laughed. "But, in any case, what can we do about it?"

"I don't know… I wish I'd had more time to observe her and see what was going on. But I couldn't figure things out before I ended up…" Lina's voice trailed off and she winced slightly at the memory. "Gourry, how bad were my injuries?"

Gourry frowned, not wanting to think back to it. "Really bad." he replied. "That wound was deep, not to mention that the healer said it cut into some major artery. Sub-something."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Lina nodded. "Anyway, I guess, judging from the stains on my cape, that you managed to stop the bleeding?"

"The best I could." Gourry sighed. "That healing-necklace-thingy you have helped too. That's what the healer said."

"Healing-necklace-thingy? You mean this?" Lina asked, grabbing her necklace and examining it.

"Yeah. The lady who took care of you said that it had healing properties, and that you'd probably have been a lot worse off without it."

"Hah! And you know the irony behind all this? That's the necklace I got from Marielle! She did mention that it had some magic purposes… but I had no idea!" Lina laughed, though it was slightly weakened from her injuries.

"That is ironic, isn't it?" Gourry agreed. "But at least you're well enough that we can appreciate that irony."

"You said it!" Lina agreed. "But… I'm still tired… maybe I should sleep some more…"

"Do sleep some more, Lina. That's probably good for you. I'm going to go let the healer know that you've woken up, and that you're okay- but I'll be _right back, _I promise." Gourry assured her, getting up from his chair.

"I'm not worried about you leaving." Lina replied. "Not worried at all… g'night, Gourry. Love you."

Gourry stared at her for a second. Lina had never started that before- in fact, he wasn't sure that he'd ever heard an unsolicited declaration of love from his beloved sorceress. Still, it didn't fail to put a smile on his face as he left. "Good night, Lina. I love you too."

A pair of violet eyes watched from an outside window. He turned from the scene, making a note to himself out loud.

"Good news- Miss Lina is still alive. That's a relief. Lord Beastmaster would not be pleased with me if something were to happen to her. Bad news- I really can't stay around those two for too long without getting a headache! I'd better watch that from now on!"

Xellos sent one last glance toward the healer's house before disappearing.

_So, Miss Lina… you're trying to figure out what Lady Marielle is up to, huh? It'll be too dangerous for my mission if you know too much too soon, but perhaps I can help you out just a little…_

* * *

><p>(AN: Short chapter, but Lina's okay... not that she'd actually be in any danger, or anything. I wouldn't do that... right? Right... haha... Anywho, if you've read this far, I really can't thank you enough! Thank you so much for the interest! You guys are great!)


	12. Stream of consciousness

To make up for the last, somewhat shorter, chapter, here's a longer one! Uh... I really ought to be less OCD about chapter lengths. It just irks me when I write them and they're shorter than 3K words or longer than 4K words... gah, I'm so weird! Anyhow, I don't own anything related to Slayers- I'm just a fan having some fun (and getting paranoid) writing fanfiction! Please enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>12- Stream of consciousness- too many secrets to keep up with!<strong>

"It's not possible! It's just not possible! I don't care what kind of person this 'Marielle' got as an assassin, Lina Inverse cannot be dead!"

It took Zelgadis half a day to find the sorceress that he'd parted ways with earlier, and after hearing the chimera's news, Naga took to ranting the entire way to Kalmaart.

"I mean, sure, she's gotten in over her head a few times, and she's a scrawny thing with no chest to speak of, but she's got some serious magic in her arsenal, and she should be able to fight anything! I mean, the only person she'd refuse to fight would be a dear friend-" Naga stopped as she listened to herself speak. "W-wait a minute… Prince Pokota buddy, do you know who this assassin was?"

"_I don't_." Pokota replied. "_Y-you don't think that she could have used…?_"

Zelgadis stopped suddenly. "Hold on a minute! You're not talking about-"

"_If Marielle can control my body like a puppet after removing my spirit, then who's to say that she couldn't have used…"_

"But that's absurd! To do that to a human that's already in another body is one thing, but a human in their original body is quite another!" Zelgadis shot back. "It… it couldn't have been… It was probably just someone else- if Lina had come across someone who was young, or looked innocent, she could have been distracted or reluctant to fight-"

"If Amelia isn't innocent, I don't know what is." Naga commented.

She felt a slow, painful silence from both the chimera and the prince inside the red gem. It was though they had made a silent, unspoken pact not to say the princess' name out loud, and Naga had just broken it.

"No. I refuse to believe that." Zelgadis shook his head.

"Maybe you're right! Maybe Lina isn't dead, and Amelia wasn't the one to kill her! But maybe she_ is_, and maybe she _was_! We have no way of knowing! None of us were there!" Naga yelled.

"_The only person that would know would be Marielle herself, and the people working for her._" Pokota replied.

"And Gourry." Zelgadis replied.

"If he's still sane, that is." Naga added.

Zelgadis turned to look at the sorceress, a puzzled expression on his face. "Sane?" he asked. "Why wouldn't Gourry be sane?"

"Extreme grief can drive people mad." Naga replied, matter-of-factly. Her voice lowered, taking on a more serious tone. "It's… it's not fun."

"I get that it would be hard on him, but driving him insane?" Zelgadis asked.

"_Fear and panic can do the same thing. They go hand in hand._" Pokota offered. "_The fear of death, or of a loved one dying can often be more powerful than the initial shock of their death. And then, once the grief of the loss begins to set in… well… back when the Durum Plague ravaged Taforashia, a lot of people went mad. Insanity spread almost as fast as the disease. It was horrendous._"

"Oh." Was the only response Zelgadis could manage to give to Pokota's story. Naga was nearly in tears.

"How terrible! Oh, my little Prince Pokota buddy! The horrors that good people like you are forced to face in their lifetimes, are more than you really should have to! Oh, poor thing!"

"I suppose… you do have a point. I'm _really _worried about Gourry, no matter how he's handling the situation. We can't waste any time getting to Kalmaart. From where we are now, it's due east… but I've no idea how far. If only Lina and Gourry had been more specific in telling where they were going!" Zelgadis sighed.

"_I don't think they were totally sure themselves._" Pokota replied.

"Then there's no time to lose!" Naga exclaimed. "Let's go find Gourry and get this mess straightened out once and for all!"

* * *

><p>The healer who was taking care of Lina was quite surprised with the girl's progress. Gourry, however, was not. He was familiar with Lina and her determination. She wouldn't let an injury get in her way. By the second day, she was out of bed and walking- slightly weakened, but still acting like her normal self.<p>

One thing that took the older woman by surprise, was the energy with which Lina fought over food with Gourry.

"You'd think, by looking at you two fight, that she'd never been attacked." the healer commented.

"Oh, if you think that was bad, you should see her when she's well!" Gourry exclaimed. "I had to go easy on her today, because she's not as good at it as she would be if she weren't injured. It'll be a lot rougher once she's completely healed."

"Oh my." the healer replied, placing a hand over her mouth, not sure what other response to give.

* * *

><p>"Pokota?"<p>

Zelgadis spoke up after they had been travelling for several days, and were getting close to the border between Ralteague and Kalmaart. Pokota hadn't said anything for a few hours, and he wanted to make sure everything was okay. "Pokota, are you there?"

No response.

"Hey, Pokota!" Zelgadis tried again. Still, no voice called back from the deep red gemstone.

"Little Prince Pokota Buddy? Are you there?" Naga called. "Can you hear me now~?"

After another long moment of silence, Zelgadis shot Naga a concerned look. "...Erm, Pokota? Are you there?" After a moment, he sighed and shook his head. "No, he's not answering. I wonder what's wrong with him…"

"Do you think Marielle's done something with him?" Naga gasped.

"I don't know… it's possible that she-"

"Oh, you're wondering what Lady Marielle has done with Pokota, are you?"

Zelgadis and Naga twirled around suddenly, seeing a purple-haired Mazoku sitting on a branch of a tree next to them.

"Xellos!"

"Mister Xellos!"

Zelgadis and Naga stepped back, seeing Xellos smiling down at them. Naga was the first to step forward. "You're the 'Mister Xellos' that's working as Marielle's lab assistant! " she growled. "What has she done with my little Prince Pokota Buddy?"

"Oh, Marielle wasn't planning to leave him in that jar, you know. She's got other plans for him."

"Other plans? What other plans?" Naga gasped.

Xellos placed a finger to his lips. "Well, now, that's a secret."

"XELLOS!" Zelgadis growled. "You know what? You're the bastard that tricked Lina and Gourry into going to Kalmaart so that they could get attacked! It's all your fault that Lina is…" his voice trailed off.

"Oh, come now. I was only following orders by sending Miss Lina and her bodyguard in that direction." Xellos assured him.

"Isn't that what you're _always _doing? Following orders? It seems that all your orders are done to hurt people!" Zelgadis spat angrily.

Xellos just grinned. "Well, in the words of a good friend of mine, I _am _a Mazoku, after all."

"You know what_ I_ want to know? Who that assassin that Marielle used was! Was it Amelia? TELL ME, XELLOS!" Zelgadis demanded frantically.

"Oh, that?" Xellos began. Zelgadis and Naga stared at him impatiently. He suddenly stood up and disappeared, the sound of his voice still echoing after he was gone.

"_That, is a secret as well._"

* * *

><p>"Hey, Lina! You want to go for a walk?" Gourry exclaimed, looking out the window of the clinic. He and Lina had been there for five days, and she was getting restless. She wanted to continue on and attempt to find Zelgadis and Naga, but the healer said that she ought to rest a few more days, just to make sure that she did not inadvertently create more problems regarding her injury.<p>

"Yes! I'd _like _to go ahead and start travelling again! I'm bored!" Lina whined.

"I know, but you've just got to be patient. We'll keep travelling in a couple of days." Gourry replied. "For now… let's go outside for a while. It's a bit later in the afternoon, so it shouldn't be as hot as it was earlier."

"Alright…" Lina sighed. "It might be nice to walk around without worrying about having somewhere to be…"

"Of course!" Gourry grabbed Lina's hand and nearly dragged her outside. "We'll be back before dark!" he called.

"Alright, have a good time." the healer waved at them.

Gourry had been the one to drag Lina outside, but he ended up having to run in order to keep up with her. "Slow down, Lina! Wait for me!"

"You've got to be faster than that, Gourry!" Lina laughed.

"But don't you want to stop and enjoy the nice weather?" Gourry asked. It was, indeed, cooler than it had been recently. Kalmaart was rather far north, so the climate was much milder than a southern country such as Seyruun, but still, there had been a large heat wave as of late, making it oppressively hot and often overcast or stormy. Today the sky was clear and the temperature was much more pleasant. It seemed like the entire forest was buzzing with happiness over the amiable weather. If only it could be like this year-round…

"I guess it is nice." Lina commented, stopping for a moment to examine a large yellow bloom on a wildflower that was growing near the trunk of a large tree. She couldn't quite identify the flower, but she knew that the tree was a birch- just like most of the other trees growing in the forest. Lina placed a hand on the papery-thin bark that flaked off the tree if pulled on hard enough, and was extremely durable, despite its thinness.

"So this is what they mean by 'stopping to smell the flowers, huh?" Gourry commented wistfully.

"Though you might not want to sniff them so closely. They might be poisonous." Lina replied. Gourry looked unnerved for a moment, backing away from the flower slightly, and Lina laughed in response. "I'm kidding!" She jumped up, and paused for a moment, tilting her head to one side. "It sounds like there's a stream nearby."

"Well, you've been in front most of the walk. Lead the way." Gourry motioned. He smiled at how much fun Lina seemed to be having, exploring the forest like this. If they were travelling with a determined destination, a fast-flowing stream would just be a pain to cross, or a frivolous diversion that they most certainly wouldn't have time for. Now… it'd be something fun that they could enjoy to their heart's content. See? There _were_ good things about staying in one place! Lina wasn't going to give up travelling so easily, but Gourry found himself thinking that settling down somewhere might be a good idea. Or at least having somewhere to call home, that they could spend a fair amount of time at between trips. To the swordsman who hadn't had a real home in over ten years, the thought of marrying Lina and actually finding a house somewhere was a lovely thought, indeed.

"Gourry? Hey, Gourry! Come on, you're falling behind! Get your head out of the clouds! Look at this!"

The sound of Lina's voice broke Gourry's reverie, and he rushed on to find out what Lina was yelling about. Turning a corner in the narrow trail that they were following, Gourry found himself at a large stream that was tumbling down a wall of rocks on one side, and continuing on in the opposite direction. Lina stood on the edge, staring at the cool, clear water eagerly. "See?" she asked, motioning to the stream.

"Wow. It's so pretty." Gourry commented, staring in awe.

"And I'll bet it's nice and cold too! Let's go wading!" Lina exclaimed, already beginning to remove her boots.

"Sounds fun!" Gourry exclaimed, eagerly pulling his boots off as well. It wasn't _as _hot as it had been, but it was still a summer day when a dip in a nice, cold stream would be most welcome.

Lina was wading in, giving a squeal as her feet touched the frigid water. "It_ is_ cold! _Really _cold!"

Gourry followed. "Oh come on, it can't be _that _co- AH! You're right! It _is _really cold!"

Lina grinned and pulled her gloves off, tossing them toward the bank where her boots were. She bent down and scooped up a handful of water with her bare hands, and tossed at her companion's face.

"Waah~! Lina, don't start this!" Gourry exclaimed with a laugh, trying to dry his face off.

"Start what?" Lina asked, putting her hands behind her back, trying to look innocent.

"Okay, I see, then." Gourry murmured, pulling off his own gloves and wrist-guards and tossing them to the side of the stream. He pulled up a large handful of water- much more than Lina had, since his hands were a great deal larger than hers- and dumped it on her head.

"GOURRY!" Lina exclaimed, more in shock from the cold than anything else. "Fine then! I might have started it, but you're the one who encouraged it!" She smiled happily, tossing more freezing water at her friend, who happily returned the favour. Lina laughed happily.

"You're crazy!"

"_You're _crazy!"

"Well _you're _a moronic, jellyfish-brained idiot!"

"You're short and flat-chested!"

"Oh, it's _on _now!"

Lina and Gourry tossed water back and forth, laughing happily at all the fun that they were having. It seemed as though it was difficult _not_ to have fun, given the situation. All their worries over the problem with Amelia, Pokota, and Marielle were put in the back of their minds in favour of the more enjoyable circumstances. Forgetting about their troubles might not have been the _nicest _thing they could have done, but it certainly helped to get rid of a lot of the stress that had built up- which was important, were they going to continue to work at rescuing their friends.

Finally, out of breath and pretty much damp all over, they decided to call it quits. Lina sat down on a rock that stuck out of the water, the rest of the stream flowing around it. "Wow… that was fun. I think we're sufficiently cooled off now, what do you think?"

"I'll say!" Gourry breathed, finding another rock to sit down on. "Why do you suppose this water is so cold?"

"I think most of the streams and rivers in Kalmaart originate in the Kataart mountains, just north of here. I'll bet that this stream is fed by mountain snowmelt- that makes it especially cold." Lina commented.

"Oh wow. To think that there's actually snow somewhere right now… unthinkable!" Gourry laughed.

"Way high up in the mountains, the snow never melts. That's what forms glaciers." Lina replied.

Gourry nodded slightly, smiling wistfully at the though. "Oh, I see. Wouldn't you like to go somewhere where the snow never melts, Lina?"

"Heck no! I hate cold weather!" Lina spat indignantly. "I want to live somewhere warm. Not some Cepheid-forsaken frozen wasteland."

Gourry perked up slightly. "Live?' Like, settle down somewhere?"

"I suppose." Lina said, twirling a strand of hair in her fingers. "It should be warm- somewhere where plants and flowers can grow all year-round… or at least some of the year. I don't mind snow too much, but it's troublesome. So a warm place would be better."

"B-but that would mean that you'd want to live there year-round, right?" Gourry continued.

"Yeah. Or at least _some_ of the year. I don't want to stop travelling when we get married- I already said that, remember?" Lina replied, still paying attention to her hair.

"Of course! But… you're saying we should find a house or something?"

"Well, we'd definitely be better off with a place of our own." Lina shrugged. "Why? Are you opposed to the idea?"

"N-no! No, of course not! I was afraid you _were_!"

Lina rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Gourry, it's as if you think I'm opposed to everything that involves '_us_.' I'm not heartless, you know. I _do _want to be with you, contrary to your jellyfish-minded fears."

Gourry sighed, with a hurt expression reminiscent of a child that had just received a good scolding. "I'm sorry, Lina."

"Don't worry about it!" Lina replied, putting on a smile. "It doesn't matter anyway. I'm just informing you for future reference- not that I expect you to remember anyway."

"I-I'll remember!" Gourry defended. "I promise, I'll remember."

"Making promises you can't keep is just as idiotic as forgetting something important." Lina laughed. "But I guess if you promise, then I'll trust you. I do normally trust you, after all."

Gourry smiled. "Thanks. It's nice to be trusted."

"Of course! You haven't let me down yet!" Lina stood up. "I'm getting kind of hungry. What do you say we get our shoes back on and head back to the clinic. We'll have to go into town again and buy things for dinner, after all. Sound good?"

"Good idea!" Gourry agreed, getting up and following Lina to the bank of the stream. He watched as she put her boots back on first, and then turned her attention to her gloves. It made him think back to the conversation they had exchanged earlier, and he felt the need to mention something.

"Erm, Lina… you know, I didn't mean what I said about you back there. When we were exchanging insults and stuff, and I said that you… well… uh, I was just kidding. You know that, right?"

Lina looked up at him curiously for a second. "Yeah. I know that."

"I was just making sure. I mean, I know you're touchy about it, and I didn't want to offend you or anything-"

"Touchy? Who says I'm touchy about it?" Lina asked indignantly. "I've gotten used to it. Everyone calls me that, so I've gotten to the point where I don't even care anymore."

"You care more than you let on…" Gourry murmured quietly to himself.

"What was that?" Lina growled. She didn't like it when Gourry murmured to himself, figuring that it was probably something that involved her most of the time.

"N-nothing. I just… thought I should let you know."

"Well, that's nice of you." Lina said. "Anyway, get your shoes back on and let's go."

Gourry grabbed his boots and gloves, and sat down, leaning his back against a tree. "It's so nice out here… I could nearly fall asleep…"

Lina chuckled slightly to herself at her companion's carefree attitude. It sometimes baffled her how he could sleep just about anywhere and anytime. She sat down beside him, leaning on his shoulder. "So you're glad I suggested that we come on this walk?" Lina asked.

"For sure…" Gourry murmured. He closed his eyes, looking as though he might actually fall asleep right there, but suddenly he sat up, realising something. "…hey! Wait!_ I_ was the one who suggested-"

Lina burst out laughing. "Took you long enough!"

"Lina, that's not nice!" he pouted.

"I just wanted to see if you were paying attention." Lina sighed. She closed her eyes and moved closer to Gourry. "Erm… uh… and thanks. For what you said just now. You didn't have to… but I _really _appreciate it. It's nice to know that there's someone who doesn't think so… and cares enough about me to say it out loud. So thanks."

Gourry smiled brightly. He _knew _that she'd taken it more personally than she'd let on, and was glad that he'd managed to make amends by letting her know that he wasn't serious. "You're welcome. You deserve to know when you're being insulted and when you're not."

"I guess that's true." Lina nodded. "And you know… when I call you a jellyfish-brain… I'm not being all that serious. It's more of a… term of affection, I guess. A pet name. You know that jellyfish don't have brains, and judging by what you've said, I'm sure that you've got a pretty good one in that head of yours- even if you don't use it as often as you should… Jellyfish? Gourry? Hey! Don't fall asleep on me! I'm trying to give a dramatic soliloquy on my emotions, and you're totally ignoring me! Gourryyyy~!"

It was no use. He'd already fallen asleep.

"Darn it, that idiot. I swear, that man can sleep anywhere. Ah well, I don't really have the heart to wake him up, so I guess I'll just sleep some as well…"

Lina leaned against her fiancé's shoulder, and fell asleep- or, she began to. However, she suddenly felt someone grab her arm tightly. Lina opened her eyes slightly in curiosity. "Hmm? Gour-"

She was cut off by a gloved hand that was shoved over her mouth.

It wasn't Gourry.

Lina attempted to scream as she was pulled from her companion's side, but it was no use. The person's glove muffled every noise she made, and she saw in horror that her protector couldn't even hear anything. A familiar voice whispered in her ear startled her.

"Miss Lina, don't get so worked up. I'm not here to harm you."

"Xellos?" she gasped, though it was muffled underneath the Mazoku's glove.

"Miss Lina, I've something important to show you. Don't scream, alright?" Xellos continued, pulling his hand slightly away from Lina's mouth so that he could hear her response.

"Something to show me?" she demanded.

"Yes. Quickly. Come with me-"

"But what about Gour-?"

Xellos put his hand back over her mouth again. "No worries. He's fast asleep. I'll have you back here, unharmed before your dear protector even wakes up. I give you my word."

The sorceress tried to protest, but her yells were in vain as Xellos pulled her further away and then teleported away with Lina in tow.

* * *

><p>"Gourry!"<p>

Zelgadis and Naga stared in amazement at their friend that they had finally found- though certainly not in the manner that they'd have expected to find him. Here he was beside a large stream, leaning against a tree, fast asleep. He looked rather the same as when they'd last seen him, but was missing the dark-blue shoulder armour that he usually wore. His boots and gloves were set aside, as though he'd taken them off to wade in the stream, and his expression as he slept seemed awfully content.

"D-do you think he's okay?" Naga asked.

"He's just asleep… but I'm kind of afraid to wake him up." Zelgadis murmured.

"Well, he's got to wake up sometime!" Naga exclaimed. "And if you won't, I'll wake him up myself!"

Zelgadis watched in shock as Naga grabbed the swordsman by the shoulder and shook him violently. "Hey! You! Come on, wake up! Gourry, wake up!"

Gourry seemed to be stirring, so Naga took a step back to observe him and make sure he was okay. "L-Lina…?" he murmured confusedly.

Half-awake and already asking for Lina. That was a bad sign.

"G-Gourry, it's us." Zelgadis said, bending down beside his friend. Gourry stared blankly at them for a minute before it seemed to register.

"Huh… oh! Zelgadis! Naga! It's you guys! Hey, Lina! Look! It's Naga and Zel-" It was at this point that Gourry finally noticed the lack of a person sitting beside him and leaning on his shoulder. He looked around for a minute, but found no trace of the girl who had been there when he'd fallen asleep. "Lina? Hey, Lina! Lina, where'd you go? Lina-"

"Gourry, what are you doing?" Zelgadis demanded.

"I'm looking for Lina, of course! Have either of you two seen her? She was just here- she was beside me talking about something when I fell asleep! Now all of a sudden she's gone? Do you have any idea where she is?"

Zelgadis and Naga exchanged a glance. "Naga," Zelgadis whispered. "do you think that he's-"

"He's been hallucinating." Naga breathed.

"H-hallucinating?" Zelgadis murmured confusedly.

The sorceress beside him nodded. "Exactly. Sometimes, when loved ones die, a person could end up hallucinating and believing that they're still alive in order for their brain to cope with the sudden change. It… it happened to me before. When my mother died. But my family was able to snap me out of it very quickly. I'm afraid that, the longer someone hallucinates, the more real they assume their hallucinations to be, as their brain takes for granted that the person who they are hallucinating really exists. After all this time, I'm sure that the 'Lina' he's imagined seems just as real to him as the two of us."

"What are you guys talking about? Is Lina okay? What's going on?" Gourry demanded.

Zelgadis turned back to his friend with a pained expression. "Gourry…" he began, not sure how to put what needed to be said.

"What? What's wrong?" Gourry was beginning to panic by this point. He looked at the sky, noting the time. The sun had just set, and the last few rays of light were lingering in the sky. He hadn't been asleep for _too _long- could something have happened to Lina in such a short amount of time?

"Gourry… why don't you sit down?" Zelgadis instructed, not wanting his friend to get so upset. Unfortunately, his words seemed to have the opposite effect.

"S-sit down? Why do I need to sit down? Zelgadis, tell me what's wrong! Right now!"

* * *

><p>(AN: Xellos! You're so tricky! But so much fun to write! XD)


	13. Unhelpful information!

(Heya! I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm really determined to get this story finished... It's bothering me something awful... but I'll get it done! I'm close to it, anyway! As per usual, I don't own Slayers- I'm just a fan having a lot of fun writing some fiction! Please enjoy!)

* * *

><p><strong>13- Unhelpful information! Make yourself useful, for once, Xellos!<strong>

Xellos and Lina landed on a patch of grass, in a forest very unlike the one that Lina had just been in. Most of the trees here were more southern varieties such as longleaf pine. The forest floor was covered in the brown straw that had fallen from the branches of the towering pines with their still-green needles appearing several other colours in the waning minutes of the sunset. It was hot- much hotter than it had been in Kalmaart.

"Xellos… where are we?"

"Why, we're in south-western Seyruun. This is, of course, where Lady Marielle's mansion is." Xellos replied, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

"M-Marielle's mansion?" Lina gasped. "Why'd you take me to Marielle's mansion? You were the one who told us to go to Kalmaart and nearly got us killed-"

"Now, now. Just following orders, Miss Lina." Xellos chided. "I promise you, I never meant for you to be killed. That would actually make my superiors very unhappy."

"Isn't Marielle your superior? _She _wants me dead!" Lina snapped.

"Oh, I _don't_ consider Marielle a superior. More of a… an experiment that I'm keeping an eye on for the purposes of the Mazoku race." Xellos leaned in closely and whispered closely into Lina's ear. "If you haven't noticed, I don't particularly care for her all that much."

Lina gave him an odd stare. "Excuse me? _She's _an experiment? Just what do the Mazoku want with her?"

"Miss Lina, I believe we have known each other long enough for you to figure out the answer to that question."

"Getting tired of your catchphrase, Xellos?" Lina asked.

"No, no. Just saving time. After all, we have something much more important to discuss. Follow me." Xellos motioned, leading Lina in one direction. She saw no other option but to follow the Mazoku closely, as it was much too far for her to _walk _back to where she'd left Gourry, and Xellos had promised to take her back quickly.

Lina gasped as she looked forward, a large wall coming into view. "Wh-what is that?"

"That? It's the outside of Marielle's walled garden. It's separate from the mansion, so the two of us can get in without a problem. This is also where the storage rooms are." Xellos replied.

"Storage rooms…?" Lina murmured. "Just what is she storing?"

Xellos grinned. "Oh, that? It's very interesting, let me assure you."

Lina's expression grew sceptical, but she didn't complain as Xellos led her through the large, elaborate garden gates. The garden was decorated like one that you would find in a royal courtyard- there were rose bushes set up in labyrinth-like patterns, white trellises with grape vines weaved through them, and stone statues and fountains accentuating the cultivated beauty.

"Incredible…" Lina murmured.

"Oh, you think this is incredible? You haven't seen the storage rooms yet." Xellos smiled. "Over here."

The "storage room" looked more like a cottage, painted white with lavender doors and shutters. "This is a storage room?" Lina gasped. "It's the kind of place I'd like to _live._"

"I apologise, Miss Lina, but I doubt that you and Mister Gourry would be very happy here." Xellos replied. He opened the door, which responded with a loud creak, and motioned into the house. "Ladies first."

Lina tried to put on an arrogant grin. "W-well, I'm certainly glad that you consider me a lady, Xellos."

"You're simply more of a lady than I am." Xellos shrugged. "But can we please get a move on? We don't want to leave your lover waiting, and we _most certainly_ don't want to get caught in here."

"Caught? Caught by who?" Lina stammered.

"Anyone who actually has business being here." Xellos responded cryptically.

Lina looked around, a wary unease spreading through her body. To get caught here would be a bad thing indeed- especially since the mistress of the house thought she was dead.

_Why in the heck am I even _in_ the walled garden of a sadistic little aristocratic girl who wants me dead? Am I crazy?_

Lina stepped into the tiny storage-cottage, and glanced around. Xellos had given her no warning as to what she might find inside the house, but she could never, in a million years, have imagined what she would find.

The sorceress' breath caught in her throat.

"J-jars…"

Sure enough, shelves of jars lined the room, stretching from the ceiling to the floor. Jars of all sizes, yet all uniform in design. Lina felt surrounded by them, and got an oddly claustrophobic sensation, being present with all those eerily familiar jars…

Xellos followed her into the large room, quickly closing the door behind them. "Not just any jars, Miss Lina. These jars are very special."

"They look… like the Hellmaster's Jar!" Lina gasped.

"Precisely." Xellos nodded.

Lina twirled around, pointing toward Xellos angrily. "Why'd you show me this? Why does Marielle have all these replica Hellmaster's Jars?"

Xellos backed away slightly, but his smile never wavered. "Dear me, I can't say. I have some theories, though."

"You... you can't say?" Lina gasped. "B-but you're working for her? Shouldn't she tell you exactly what she's doing?"

Xellos shook his head. "She simply tells me what I am to do for her in the lab. All I know is that her experiment has three phases, and Amelia's attack on you and Gourry proved a success that finished phase one and propelled her toward her next goal. The final goals, however, are kept under wraps. Only Marielle knows the big picture to all this. I suspect that even her sister Jetta is in the dark about the real reason behind this strange process. I'm working for them, you see, in order to gain knowledge and put the pieces together for the benefit of the Mazoku race."

Lina thought this over for a minute, staring around her at the jars that lined the shelves of the room. "B-but Xellos… why are you spending your time doing this? For you to devote so much effort into figuring this out, she must be doing something… important."

"Well…" Xellos walked up to Lina, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You see, Miss Lina, my superiors and I have a few suspicions as to what Marielle might be plotting. And if those are correct… well… things could turn out wonderfully or horrendously for the Mazoku race- if you know what I mean."

Lina's eyes widened. "Y-you mean… Marielle is a danger to the Mazoku race? Is she a Mazoku herself? Oh, that would explain so mu-"

"No." Xellos interrupted. "Marielle exists solely on this plane. She is not, herself, a Mazoku. At least... not yet..."

"Not_ yet_? What does that mean?"

"It means that I'm really not sure of anything, Miss Lina. Lady Marielle could be the most important ally that the Mazoku race has ever had... but, she could also possibly be a danger to the Mazoku race, just like you have been able to thwart the plans of various Mazoku for years now..."

Lina scowled. "Don't you dare compare me to that jerk, Marielle."

"Oh, I wouldn't call Lady Marielle a jerk. In fact, she's much more polite than you are, Miss Lina." Xellos replied.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"Keep it down, Miss Lina! We're going for a low profile here!" Xellos whispered harshly. "In any case, I'm just saying that, perhaps this information about the Hellmaster's Jars will be useful to you in figuring out the pieces to this puzzle. Meanwhile, I must continue to assist Lady Marielle."

"Xellos, you're so confusing." Lina pouted. "You're helping Marielle, you're helping us, you're helping Marielle- just whose side are you on anyway?"

Xellos smiled a mischievous smile that sent a sense of dread down Lina's spine. "The side that I'm _always _on, Miss Lina.

_My own_."

Lina bit her lip. Xellos was right, and she knew it. No matter who was right and who was wrong, Xellos was always acting only in his best interests. Lina just hoped that she would be able to keep _her_ actions in the Mazoku's best interest.

"Now then," Xellos continued, grabbing Lina's hand. "Shall we get you back before your lover wakes up and becomes worried about you?"

"Fine." Lina sighed.

* * *

><p>"S-sit down? Why do I need to sit down? Zelgadis, tell me what's wrong! Right now!"<p>

Zelgadis sighed. "Gourry, look. We don't want to scare you or anything-"

"Well, it's too late for that!" Gourry yelled. "Tell me what's going on! Where is Lina?"

"She… well… we think you may have been hallucinating." Zelgadis replied with difficulty.

"H-h-hallucinating? Hallucinating what? For how long?"

"Lina. For the past week." Naga responded calmly.

"A-a week? You've got to be kidding! I think I'd _know _if I was hallucinating for a whole week!" Gourry defended, sounding indignant. "Just _what _could I have been hallucinating?"

"I already said- Lina." Naga replied. Zelgadis noted the comforting calmness in her voice as she spoke. It seemed as though she had experience dealing with people in this situation, and was good at working with them. Perhaps it would be better to let her deal with this… as long as it didn't get out of hand.

"How in the world could I have hallucinated Lina?" Gourry demanded.

"W-well, you see…" Naga began, and sighed, continuing. "w-when Lina was killed-"

"Whoa! Stop! Lina's not dead!" Gourry exclaimed. "If that's what you're trying to tell me, then _you're _the ones who are hallucinating!"

"So she's alive after all?" Zelgadis asked, relief apparent on his face.

"Yes!" Gourry exclaimed.

"Then where is she?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Zelgadis and Naga exchanged another concerned glance, which Gourry caught. "Th-that's why you think I'm hallucinating, isn't it? I promise, I'm not lying! Honestly! She _was _right there! A-and I fell asleep… and when you woke me up, she wasn't there… I'm not an idiot, you guys! I _can _be smart! Lina said something to that effect _just now- _when I was falling asleep! I _know _she was here!"

"But where would she have gone?" Naga asked.

"I-I don't know! She wouldn't leave me! We were going to walk back to where we're staying _together! _I can't understand why she'd just disappear…"

"…unless it was all a hallucination." Naga finished.

"I am NOT hallucinating! I promise!" Gourry exclaimed. "Why won't you listen to me?"

"We are listening!" Zelgadis shot back. "But honestly, what other conclusion could we have drawn? After all, she suddenly disappeared, and you have no explanation. So, you know, we'd just kind of assume that…"

"Why won't you believe me? I'm telling the truth! I'm being HONEST, and I KNOW that I wasn't hallucinating- you've GOT to believe me!" Gourry was yelling frantically, seeing his friend's sceptical expressions. He felt so helpless, while being worried about Lina and trying to convince his friends that he wasn't crazy- and a slight worry that they might be right after all. "ZEL, NAGA, COME ON-"

"My, my. What in the world is this craziness? How troublesome- I simply borrowed Miss Lina for a few minutes, and _this _is what I come back to find?"

The three turned around suddenly, seeing Xellos and Lina staring at them incredulously.

"G-Gourry! What's the matter with you?" Lina exclaimed. She didn't know if she'd ever seen him so worked up, though she was pretty sure that it was related to her disappearance with Xellos. That stupid Mazoku! Get her back before he woke up? Yeah, right!

"Lina!" Gourry exclaimed, running up to her and throwing his arms around her tightly. "Where in the world did you go?"

"I told you that I simply borrowed her for a few minutes-" Xellos began, but he didn't have the chance to finish the sentence. Gourry let go of Lina and grabbed Xellos by the collar of his shirt, staring down at him angrily.

"What do you mean, you just _borrowed _her? Lina's a person! She's not just some _thing _that you can take if you want!"

"G-Gourry, hey! Calm down!" Lina said, grabbing onto her companion's arm. She definitely didn't want him incurring Xellos' wrath- she wanted him to be around for quite a while longer, after all!

Thankfully, Xellos seemed to be more amused than threatened by the swordsman's behaviour.

"Oh, my goodness! You're certainly worked up today! I don't think I've ever seen you so cross with anyone before!" the Mazoku laughed.

"Xellos!" Gourry growled, not discouraged at all by Lina's pleading and Xellos' reaction. "Why did you take her? What's _your _problem?"

"Yeah! We were yelling at Gourry and making incorrect assumptions about the whole situation! I should have known it was your fault from the very beginning!" Zelgadis yelled in agreement.

"Guys, guys! I know how this must look, but there was a good reason behind this, if you'll just listen-" Lina protested, but soon realised that her words were not having much effect on her friends.

"Why didn't you tell us when we saw you earlier that Lina was alive?" Naga demanded.

"Well, if I had known that you assumed that, then I would have corrected you- but I _didn't _know that you assumed that. I'm not exactly an omniscient Mazoku, you know." Xellos replied with indignant disdain.

Zelgadis wasn't buying it. "You _act _that way with all your stupid secrets! I swear, if you don't tell us about Amelia, I will-"

"How did this get to Amelia? We were talking about Lina! I still want to know why he took _Lina_!" Gourry objected.

"There's a LOT of stuff we want to know!" Naga exclaimed. "So if Xellos would stop being so _rude_, and-"

"_FIREBALL!_"

There was a large explosion that quieted the entire argument. Lina's attack hadn't been aimed at any particular person- though Gourry flinched instinctively- and crashed into a thick birch tree instead, burning a large chunk out of the paper-like bark.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP! Let me talk this time, and DON'T interrupt me!" Lina yelled. "Now SIT DOWN, and let me tell you what happened!"

Zelgadis and Gourry quickly saw that Lina meant business, and sat down respectfully, completely silent. Naga, however, was not in the mood to listen to Lina's commands.

"Hmph! Why should I listen to what some puny, second-rate sorceress tells me to do! I'm Naga the Serpent, and I don't take orders from anyone unless they-"

"Naga, sit down!" Zelgadis and Gourry instructed, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the ground with the two of them.

"Thank you." Lina huffed, still not in the mood for all the things that were going on. "Now, let's get some things straight here. No, I'm not dead, and no, Xellos didn't kidnap me for no reason. Granted that it wasn't the nicest thing he could have done, but there was definitely a- h-hey! Xellos! Where do you think you're going?"

Xellos seemed to be leaving, so Lina grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry, Miss Lina, but I thought you had things under control here, so I just-"

"Xellos, you need to sit down with the others and listen as well." Lina instructed. "We're going to want you to answer some questions after a while, and with more than just 'that's a secret.' Got it?"

"And why should I be doing this for you?" Xellos wanted to know.

Lina scowled and leaned in closer, whispering very softly. "Look, Xellos- I may not be able to threaten your life, or anything like that, but I've got Gourry, and I figure that the two of us together have the potential to make any Mazoku pretty darn miserable."

"Is that so?" Xellos whispered back.

"You want to find out?" Lina asked, raising an eyebrow. "My _dear _Gourry complains that I haven't been returning his affections the way I should. Perhaps I should remedy that? Just for our good, good friend Xellos~?"

"That's a dirty tactic." Xellos growled.

Lina grinned. "Gourry would like it."

"Oh, I'm sure he would…" Xellos murmured.

"Sit down, Xellos." Lina commanded a second time.

Xellos sat down.

* * *

><p>By this point, the last rays of light from the sun had finally dipped below the horizon, and darkness had enveloped the forest. Lina created a small lighting spell to illuminate the area, and continued talking. She had elaborated on the strange sight that Xellos had revealed to her in Marielle's storage room, and made a note to brainstorm ideas on that later. Right now, she said, they needed to find out what they could from Xellos.<p>

"Come here, Xellos. We want answers." Lina said, gesturing for Xellos to stand beside her. He jumped up with a smile on his face, and waved energetically at Lina's companions. Naga hadn't really known Xellos long enough to be anything but puzzled at his smiling appearance, but the Mazoku could feel a disapproving look from Zelgadis, and a very hateful glare from Gourry.

_Still not happy with me for 'borrowing' his beloved sorceress, huh? I'll have to remember that. _Xellos thought in amusement.

"Well, first of all, I wanted to ask Lina about that attack almost a week ago." Zelgadis spoke up. He looked at Lina with a piercingly serious azure gaze. "Marielle's so-called 'assassin'… it was Amelia, wasn't it?"

The question's recipient stared back with evident surprise. For a moment, Zelgadis thought- not to mention hoped and prayed- that she might say something along the lines of 'no way- what in the world would give you that crazy idea?'.

Lina blinked. "H-how did you know?"

All hopes completely dashed. Zelgadis felt his shoulder slump. "W-we just figured that… well… with the injuries you got, you must have been attacked by someone who caught you off guard. You're too good a fighter otherwise."

Lina thought this over for a minute. "I guess you're right… but how'd you know about my injuries? You weren't even there."

"Marielle saw the severity of your injuries and assumed you dead." Zelgadis replied. "Pokota then relayed this information to us. That's why we thought you might be dead- though of course, we weren't sure."

"Pokota!" Lina gasped. "What about him? I forgot all about him!"

"Oh, I'm afraid that Lady Marielle did some further experimentation on him." Xellos spoke up.

"You told us that before." Zelgadis accused. "But just what do you mean, 'experimentation?"

"Oh no, not my little Prince Pokota buddy! He… he isn't… please don't tell me that he's-"

"He's completely safe, if that's what you're talking about, Miss Naga. You don't have to worry about something like that. However, his spirit has been placed back in his own body now- it's no longer in the Hellmaster's Jar replica. So he simply can't talk to you anymore."

"So he is safe?" Zelgadis sighed in relief. "That's good. I was worried…"

"But what did she do with him?" Lina demanded.

"I'm afraid that's classified." Xellos said, placing a finger over his lips.

"HEY! I thought you were on our side!" Zelgadis growled angrily.

"I don't care what he's telling us. Anyone who kidnaps Lina can't possibly be on our side." Gourry commented pointedly.

"Gourry, I told you that he kidnapped me _because _he's on our side!" Lina corrected.

She was slightly taken aback by the anger that flashed in her fiancé's eyes. "Well, he _still _should have said something-" Gourry began sternly, but was interrupted by the Mazoku he'd been talking about.

"Let's not get bogged down in the details of that- what we need to be concerned about it exactly what Marielle is up to." Xellos chided.

"You keep your hands off Lina, and I'll be glad to." the swordsman shot back.

"Gourry!" Lina gasped reproachfully.

"Oh, don't worry about him, Miss Lina. He's just doing his job as your protector. I respect that." Xellos replied. "Now then, shall we get down to business? Marielle is conducting experiments far beyond what you've seen. Miss Naga, Miss Amelia, Mister Pokota… they're just the ones you know of."

"You mean that you know more of them?" Zelgadis gasped.

"A few…" Xellos admitted, backing away slightly.

"Xellos, you told me that you and your superiors have some guesses as to what Marielle might be doing- something that's a danger to the Mazoku race. What would that be?" Lina questioned.

Xellos thought for a moment, enjoying the anxious stares focused on him. "Hmm… how should I explain this..? Her experiment has connections to the Red Priest Rezo."

"Red Priest Rezo? I'm lost!" Naga complained.

"Shut up and we'll explain it later!" Lina shot back, and then turned back to Xellos. "So… she's trying to cure something? She seemed healthy to me."

"Oh, I have no doubts about Marielle's health." Xellos agreed.

"Then what the heck are you getting at?" Zelgadis snarled, growing angry with Xellos' cryptic and circumlocutory answers. "I swear, Xellos, if you don't start making any sense, I'm-"

Zelgadis suddenly stopped dead, mid-sentence, a pained expression on his face. He suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his head.

"Zelgadis!" Lina gasped. She was the first to reach for him, but when she reached her hand out, a barrier of dark magical energy stopped her hand, and she pulled it back as though she had been burned. Further inspection showed that it actually _did_ appear burned. Lina stared in amazement at her hand, and then back at her friend, who still hadn't moved.

"Zelgadis, are you okay?" Gourry asked, getting as close as he could without running into whatever it was that had shocked Lina. "C'mon, say something! Zel!"

It took a few moments, but Zelgadis finally let go of his head, looking around confusedly, as though he'd just awoken from an unconscious state. He rose woozily to his feet, brushing dirt off his knees. Warily, Gourry got close enough to put a hand on Zelgadis' shoulder to help steady him. "Y-you okay there, Zel?" he asked.

"Gourry? What in the heck just happened? I was yelling at Xellos, and then I got this _terrible _headache and couldn't stand…" Zelgadis murmured.

"A headache? That's all it was? Couldn't have been!" Naga exclaimed.

"That was no ordinary headache. I tried to grab your shoulder, and look what happened to my hand." Lina held up her bare, scalded hand for her friend to see. "_Through_ my glove, no less. You call that just a headache?"

Zelgadis gave the sorceress' hand a concerned glance. "Wh-what did that?"

"I don't know." Lina shrugged. "Some sort of magical barrier. I'd never seen anything like it."

"This is strange indeed…" Zelgadis murmured. "I thought it was bad when it was just headaches, but now it's hurting people other than just me…"

"Miss Lina, let me see your hand." Xellos said, reaching for her arm. However, before he could grab it, Gourry got in his way, pulling Lina aside.

"And just _what _do you want her hand for?" Gourry growled suspiciously.

Xellos frowned in irritation. At first the swordsman's anger had been amusing, but now it was becoming annoying. "I'm just curious as to the specifics of the situation. I promise, I'll do nothing more than simply looking at where her hand was injured."

"Gourry, just let him look at my hand. He probably knows more about this than you do." Lina scolded.

Gourry sighed in defeat. "Fine."

Xellos took Lina's arm and examined her hand for a moment. "Hmm… just as I thought…"

"What?" Lina asked.

"Oh, nothing that concerns you." Xellos replied with a pleasant grin, letting go of Lina's hand.

Gourry frowned, grabbing hold of Lina again. "It's late, and we said we'd be back before dark. Plus we haven't even had dinner. Shouldn't we be going?"

"Oh, I'm flattered that you'd be so eager to be rid of me, Mister Gourry. Our conversation wasn't even over, yet you still feel the need to end it in order to get away from me." Xellos said, still smiling.

"Well, Xellos, if you're not going to be clear about anything, we'd be better off going ahead and going back wherever Lina and Gourry were staying." Zelgadis agreed.

The Mazoku sighed. "Fine, fine. If you want more help, I'll give it to you. Miss Lina, you saw all those replicas of the Hellmaster's Jar, correct?" Xellos asked.

"_All _of them? You mean that Marielle had more?" Zelgadis gasped.

"She did." Lina nodded. "Lots of them."

"Precisely. Now, think for a moment. What might she need those for?"

Lina blinked, baffled by Xellos' question. "Um... to do more experiments..."

"But _why_?" Xellos pressed. "Think about it, Miss Lina. A person wouldn't make a bunch of replicas of something unless they were trying to reproduce it perfectly. What did the_ original_ Hellmaster's Jar do?"

Lina thought for a moment. "It held the soul of Red Priest Rezo."

"And?"

"And... it transferred that soul into another body..."

"And?"

"And... and... it allowed him to be killed without really dying..."

"And?"

"And _what, _Xellos?" Lina growled, tired of his one-word response.

"You're beating around the bush, Miss Lina. I'm just trying to get you to stop dancing around the subject and figure it out. I don't know how to make this any clearer for you."

"Oh, it's clear alright." Zelgadis spoke up. "If you consider mud clear. Is this the best you can do, Xellos?"

"Without giving you the answer, which I am forbidden to do? _Yes_!" The Mazoku sounded exasperated.

"Forget this, then. Let's just go back to where Lina and Gourry are staying. Lead the way, you two." Zelgadis motioned.

"Gladly." Gourry nodded, sending one final glare toward Xellos before turning and heading back in the direction of the house with Lina's unharmed hand clutched tightly in his.

Xellos just sighed, watching them leave. "You'll figure it out eventually." He called.

"Thanks for the information, however unhelpful it might have been." Lina waved.

"Any time! Unhelpful information is my specialty!" Xellos waved back, hearing Lina mutter something about Mazoku never understanding sarcasm.

Naga followed closely behind Lina and Gourry, and Zelgadis started after them. However, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around in total annoyance.

"What do you want, Xellos?"

The chimera suddenly felt unnerved as he saw Xellos' deep purple eyes staring into his own blue ones. "That issue I spoke of may not have concerned Miss Lina, but it most certainly concerns you. I'd like to talk to you about that later, if you don't mind. I think I can help."

"You, help?" Zelgadis scoffed. "And just what great authority dictates that I should trust you?"

"None." Xellos replied seriously. "But I'd suggest it, if you ever want to see your precious Amelia again."

Zelgadis stiffened. "J-just what do you mean by tha-"

"Though you may not know the reason behind it, you know just as well as I do what is happening to you, Mister Zelgadis." Xellos stated. "Now I realise why you are so anxious to rescue Miss Amelia as quickly as possible. You know that Marielle isn't going to hurt her- Amelia has all the time in the world. It's _you, _Zelgadis, for whom the clock is rapidly ticking."

Zelgadis grimaced, and looked around nervously. "I… I'll meet you outside this house or whatever after everyone has gone to sleep. And you'd_ better_ be telling the truth when you say you can help."

"Wonderful." Xellos grinned.

* * *

><p>(AN: I hope that all this information isn't confusing... I'm sorry if it is.)


	14. Countdown

(Chapter 14! I hope things are getting more interesting, and not falling apart... hah... Anyway, I don't own Slayers or anything pertaining to it- I'm just a fan having some fun writing fiction! Enjoy!)

* * *

><p><strong>14- Countdown; I'll keep your secrets if you keep mine!<strong>

"Oh, there you are, Gourry. I figured that you'd be on the couch." Lina commented, seeing her companion resting on the couch that he had slept on the past few nights. They had returned to the healer's house (much to her relief, as she was getting worried), and asked if the four of them could spend the night before leaving the next morning. Of course the woman had agreed with a smile- glad to see Lina well and getting back to the travelling she had been doing before.

"Yeah- how are Naga and Zel?" Gourry replied.

"Uh, they were arguing about something when I left. Those guys can really argue! I had to get out of there… hopefully they'll calm down, or I'll never get to sleep." Lina complained. Gourry sat up and moved over, giving Lina some room to sit down beside him.

"Where are they sleeping? Are there enough beds in there?" Gourry questioned.

"Well… there's enough beds… but Zelgadis seems to prefer the floor for some reason." Lina replied, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Oh yeah, Zelgadis always slept on the floor. I guess he's used to it- or maybe it has something to do with having skin made of rock. It must be harder to be uncomfortable." Gourry shrugged.

Lina laughed. "I suppose you're right. Zel would kill us if he heard us talking like this."

"Would he? I guess he would." Gourry laughed in reply.

Lina finally stopped laughing and sighed, continuing on with a more serious tone. "…uh… Gourry? I… I'm sorry…"

Gourry looked at her, looking extremely baffled. "S-sorry? What in the world are you sorry about?"

"Well, I guess I'm sorry about what happened with Xellos today. I could have handled that better- but he promised me that he'd bring me back before you woke up, so I figured that it might not do much harm to follow him and let him show me what he wanted to. I had no idea that Zelgadis and Naga would show up and try to tell you all those things…"

Gourry shook his head, putting an arm around her shoulder. "I think you did the right thing, Lina. It was just a horrible coincidence, and there wasn't anything you could have done to prevent it. I'm just glad that Zelgadis and Naga were wrong, and that everything turned out okay. It's Xellos who ought to apologise for what he did… He should have told someone that he was 'borrowing' you. Hmph, '_borrowing_'…"

"Yeah, Xellos is at fault for a lot of things." Lina nodded. "But… he did help us… a little bit. What I'm curious about is what's happening to Zelgadis. These headache things seem to be getting worse… and then there's that thing that happened to me…"

"Does your hand still hurt?" Gourry asked concernedly.

Lina showed her hand to her friend. "Nah, I used a healing spell on it, so it doesn't hurt anymore. Do you see anything wrong with it?"

Gourry examined Lina's hand for a moment, and turned back to her, nodding his head. "Yeah, I do."

"Huh? What's that?" Lina asked in surprise.

"I haven't gotten you a ring yet."

"Oh~." Lina sighed, rolling her eyes, though she did have a smile on her face. "That's not what I was talking about, but thanks for caring about that. Still… I'm worried about what Marielle's up to. All that Xellos said… about the Hellmaster's Jar and Rezo… I don't get it. What is she after?"

"Maybe it's something that Rezo was after." Gourry suggested, somewhat disappointed that Lina had changed the subject back to something serious.

"But Marielle isn't after the same things Rezo was. Rezo wanted a cure for his blindness, and Marielle wants something else, that simply deals with the Hellmaster's Jar. Neither one really has any overlapping goals… at least, I think…"

"Maybe it has something to do with all those questions Xellos was asking you... he kept saying 'and' over and over, but I don't know why."

"Me neither." Lina nodded. She put a hand over her mouth as she yawned loudly. "Dealing with all this nonsense has me tired out. How about you?"

Gourry nodded in agreement. "It makes my brain hurt."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't take much though." Lina teased.

"That's true." Gourry nodded, not even noticing the insult. He yawned himself, and draped his arms around Lina, resting his head on top of hers.

"Hey, hey! I'm not a pillow, just to remind you!" Lina exclaimed, slightly flustered.

"Aw, but I'm tired~." Gourry murmured, his voice trailing off.

"You're not going to fall asleep like this, are you? Gourry? Hey, Gourry! Wake up!" Lina demanded. "I am _not _sleeping on the couch with you- so let go of me! Gourry?"

She sighed. It was no use. How in the world could he possibly be awake and talking to her one minute, and then out cold the next?

"Whatever. I know that trying to wake you up is futile, so I guess I've got no choice. I'd better not find out that you were faking being asleep, though- because if you are, I'll…"

Lina's voice trailed off as she made herself comfortable, and fell asleep thinking of all the ways she could punish Gourry if he really _wasn't_ asleep.

Though there was no way of telling for sure.

* * *

><p>"Hmm… what time is it…? Lina? Zelgadis?" Naga rubbed her eyes wearily, looking around the small clinic area. She glanced over at Lina's bed, however the sorceress wasn't there. Naga looked back over at the corner where Zelgadis had made himself comfortable before she had fallen asleep. Sure enough, he wasn't there either. "Where the heck did everyone go?"<p>

Naga got out of bed, stepping lightly over the floor and pulling open the door to the rest of the house. She looked around the living room for any sign of her friends, and her breath caught in her throat as she observed the couple that was fast asleep on the couch.

"Shouldn't have expected less of those two." Naga whispered softly to herself. "Seriously, though, I'll bet Amelia loves hanging around them- they're _so cute!_"

Naga simply had to stare for a short while longer. Now that they were asleep and not being annoying, the hopeless romantic in her just couldn't get over how adorable the two were.

"But where is Zelgadis? Surely he's not involved in this- I doubt he'd want to be. Maybe he went outside…"

Naga opened the door of the house and stepped out onto the front porch silently, looking around and listening. She could hear voices from around the corner of the house- both of which she recognised right away. One, of course, was Zelgadis.

The other was Xellos.

_What is Zelgadis doing talking to Xellos in secret- and so late at night, on top of that? What's that freak hiding?_

The tall sorceress crouched against the corner of the house, out of sight of the people conversing on the other side of the building, but able to hear them perfectly.

"So, if you're so sure of all this… how much time do you think I've got left?" Zelgadis asked, a twinge of apprehension apparent in his voice.

_Time? _Naga wondered. _Time before _what? _Is he…?_

"Time?" Xellos replied. "Well, judging by the severity and length of what happened, plus Miss Lina's injury… I think I'd give you a week and a half. Two weeks tops."

"_Two weeks_?" Zelgadis choked.

"Tops." Xellos corrected.

"You've _got _to be kidding me! That's not enough time… not enough time to do anything!" the panic in the chimera's voice was apparent, even to Naga who couldn't see what was going on. She felt a knot of worry forming in her stomach as it was becoming apparent just what Zelgadis and Xellos were talking about…

"But you said that there _is _something I can do about it, right?" Zelgadis continued.

"Yes. That's why I wanted to talk to you. It's a spell that I know of, as I've experienced this sort of thing before. If used correctly, it will give you more time- doubling, or possibly even tripling what you have now." Xellos nodded.

"But… it won't fix it." Zelgadis sighed.

"I'm sorry, but it won't. I think there might be a spell that can stabilise your condition, but it would be extremely rare, if it existed at all. It could be just as elusive as the cure you've been seeking for the past decade- and you don't have that kind of time. The only other method I can think of to remedy your situation is if the Red Priest Rezo were somehow revived. However, that's impossible, and even if it _were _possible, it would be complicated, have a lot of logistical problems, plus there's no guarantee that it would reverse your situation, Zelgadis. I'm sorry."

Zelgadis shook his head. "No. It's okay. I should have figured that this would happen…"

"But just think!" Xellos continued, a smile evident in his voice. "Haven't you been looking all over the world for years to find a way to rid your human body of the golem and demon portions? You're getting exactly what you wanted!"

"Yeah, but I didn't know that I'd be _killed _in the process!" Zelgadis snarled angrily.

"Yes, well, that's an unpleasant side effect, I'm afraid. Over all these years, each portion of your body has become dependent on the others for stability. The separation of them, especially a forceful one such as this, will just cause destruction to each of the individual pieces."

"And you call _destruction _an 'unpleasant side effect?" Zelgadis growled.

"To each their own, Mister Zelgadis." Xellos grinned.

Having heard quite enough, Naga stood up slowly and retreated back inside, closing the door quietly behind her. She gave a passing glance to Lina and Gourry- still asleep snuggled together on the couch, blissfully ignorant of the situation- and continued back into the clinic portion of the house. She sat on the bed she had taken, wondering what in the world she was going to say to Zelgadis when he got back. What _could _she say? She had been eavesdropping, and since she knew that eavesdropping was wrong, it would weigh on her conscience until she told Zelgadis what she had overheard. But what could you say to someone in that situation?

She didn't have to wait too terribly long. Whatever spell Xellos was teaching him, Zelgadis caught on fast. It was only a few minutes before the chimera returned, trying his best to slip back in unnoticed. He wasn't very light on his feet, but Naga doubted that anything less than a full-on Mazoku attack could wake Lina and Gourry up. Still, Zelgadis had no idea that his roommate was awake, and was extremely startled to find Naga sitting upright on her bed, staring at him accusingly.

"N-Naga!" he whispered. "What are you doing awake?"

The sorceress didn't answer the question he had asked. She bit her lip and continued forward with the first thing that came to mind.

"So you're just going to die and leave poor Amelia all alone?"

Zelgadis stiffened, and then sighed, slouching dismally. "S-so… you heard…"

"I heard a good bit of that conversation you had with Mister Xellos just now. Not all of it, but enough to get the gist of the situation. How could you let this happen? How could you do this to Amelia?"

"You think I have a choice?" Zelgadis snapped. "You think I _want _to die and leave everyone that I care about? It isn't in a human's nature to _want _to die, Naga!"

"You're not a human. You're a freak." Naga shot back. She instantly regretted it, but she couldn't take back what she'd said.

"Yes. I _am _a freak. I'll admit it. But I've met people who don't care. Amelia doesn't care! I'd much rather live a long, happy life with her and be a freak, than get to be human for two seconds before being completely obliterated. But you think I have a choice?"

Naga stared for a long moment at Zelgadis, wondering where that defence had come from. She wasn't used to him openly admitting to being a freak, and could see the pain in his eyes when he mentioned the idea of a long, happy life with Amelia. Oh how he and her sister deserved that! Why did such terrible things happen to such wonderful people?

"I… I get it. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." she murmured.

Zelgadis sighed. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm just… well… there's too much going on right now, and I didn't want anyone else to find out." He shot a glance out the door at their friends. "Could you… not tell Lina or Gourry about this? I don't want them to worry… they don't need anything else to worry about right now…"

"I won't tell them. I promise." Naga nodded. She stood up and walked beside Zelgadis, watching the couple who was still asleep in the next room. "It seems like it would be so easy to be jealous of them… seeing how happy they look. But for some reason, I'm not."

"It's deceptive." Zelgadis nodded. "They worry about a lot more than they let on. Did you see how Gourry freaked out today when we were trying to tell him that he was hallucinating? He's constantly looking out for Lina, and trying to protect her from danger. And knowing Lina… that's definitely a full-time job."

"For sure." Naga nodded, laughing slightly.

"And… they both care about Amelia- a lot, actually. Lina is… almost like a sister to Amelia. That's what Amelia's told me anyway." Zelgadis added.

Naga was quiet for a long moment. "…like sisters, huh?"

"Yeah." Zelgadis nodded. "Amelia once told me that she actually had an older sister, but that she wasn't around anymore. I guess that's why she's kind of latched onto Lina instead…"

"Amelia's older sister was a jerk." Naga stated abruptly.

"Pardon?" Zelgadis gasped, not sure he'd heard right.

"When their mother died, Amelia's older sister should have been there for her- but she wasn't. She left Amelia and their father instead. She turned their backs on them and walked away- never even looking back once. She shunned her family and gave away any claim to the Seyruun throne. Though that's not a problem, since someone who deserts their own family in a time of crisis doesn't deserve to be queen anyway." Naga murmured fervently.

Zelgadis stared at her. He'd never heard that story, not even from Amelia or Philionel. Hearing it now from this odd woman whose relationship with the Seyruun family he didn't even know, was so strange…

"That might be true." Zelgadis murmured thoughtfully. "But she could have had good reasoning behind it. Like you said, people do crazy things when people they love die. Despite what you say, Amelia's sister was probably a good person put in a bad situation. She really deserves pity, not criticism."

Naga turned quickly, looking at Zelgadis with an absolutely baffled expression. Suddenly, she seemed like she was going to burst into tears.

"Oh Zelgadis! You really are a good man! It'd be such a terrible shame if poor Amelia had to lose you!" she sobbed.

The chimera's expression softened. "Thank you… Naga. You're… not so bad yourself. You know- for a stuck up, spoiled brat of a sorceress."

Naga grinned. "And you're not so bad for a depressed, sorry excuse for a freak."

Zelgadis settled back in the corner, despite Naga's protests that he should use an actual bed. He thought about all that had happened that day… the things with Lina, Gourry, Xellos, and now Naga... hadn't Naga once mentioned her own mother being killed? And now she was talking about Amelia's mother dying, and her sister…

..her sister!

Zelgadis gave Naga one more glance, which seemed to cement it. Of course! How could he have missed it? They had the same eyes, the same hair, the same build… Naga _had _to be Amelia's sister!

_But why hasn't she told us before? Even when she and Phil were together... they didn't seem especially friendly toward one another... _he wondered. _Judging from what she said just now, I'll bet she feels bad… maybe that's the reason? Lina and Gourry ought to know that- but she obviously doesn't _want _us to know. She's keeping my secret, so I suppose it's only fair that I keep hers, even if she hasn't exactly entrusted me with it… I _knew _I'd heard the name 'Gracia' somewhere before…_

* * *

><p>"Poko-chan, do you take sugar with your tea?"<p>

"Why yes, Marielle! I do."

"One lump or two?"

"Two please."

"A stuffed animal after my own heart! Here, I shall give you three- my treat! When it comes to black teas, I always find them more enjoyable sweetened- do you agree? Herbal teas are different, but those are normally reserved for mid-morning tea parties. I so enjoy these late-night tea parties in the garden. You can look up and see all the stars in the night sky… it is so nostalgic. Right, Poko-chan? Oh, I almost forgot- here is your sugar."

The stuffed animal felt himself reach over for the sugar bowl and take the three sugar cubes that Marielle had offered him. It was an extremely odd sensation, feeling your body move without any personal inclination to do so. However, he continued to remind himself over and over that there were much worse things than being a stuffed animal puppet being forced to attend a tea party with a little girl. Of course, the giant bow that she had placed around his neck in order to give him a "more formal attire than that tacky cape" was quite humiliating.

Pokota felt better, though. It was better than being stuck in a jar. Besides, the girl no longer had the control over him that she once did. She had changed the situation with her latest experiments, and now suddenly _he _was making decisions- and he was grateful for it! Marielle made conversation, and Pokota had no choice but to respond with whatever he thought was proper to say. He had control over his mind and speech, just not his body- similar to the way Amelia had been controlled by Marielle before. Pokota hadn't had the chance to talk to Amelia since then, but he was looking forward to Marielle's bedtime. Though she expected him to sleep as well, he figured that he might have the freedom to move about the mansion as he wished. If that was the case, then he could pay Amelia a visit…

"Good evening, Lady Marielle. I didn't mean to intrude upon your tea party! I apologise!"

Marielle and Pokota turned their attention to the newcomer. "Mister Xellos! Why, you are not intruding upon anything at all! Would you like to join us for tea?"

"I would love to, Milady." Xellos bowed, taking a seat at the table beside Pokota. "I've been speaking with a friend over some terribly serious matters, so it would be nice to unwind with a good cup of tea. Though I must say, it's awfully late for a tea party, though, don't you think?"

"Oh, tea is good anytime, Mister Xellos. Besides, it is so hot in the middle of the day, that enjoying an outdoor tea party is impossible. I suppose that you could serve iced tea, but quite frankly, I do not believe in the stuff. Tea should be served hot, I think. It is much more enjoyable that way."

"Don't let the locals hear you say that." Xellos chuckled. "Iced tea is a staple around these parts. An opinion such as that is practically cultural blasphemy."

"I would not worry. A person cannot please everyone, Mister Xellos, so I do not often try._ You_, however, seem to do a rather good job of it." Marielle replied.

"You think so? That's awfully nice of you. But you haven't met my friends, I'm afraid. They think differently."

"Some friends." Marielle scowled. "Surely, if you consider rude people like that friends, then you must think of me as a friend." She smiled hopefully.

"Well… these people are not as rude as you'd think… at least some of them. And they have good reason to think of me the way they do. Haven't you heard that people tend to act differently around their friends then they do around their employers? You, Milady, are only seeing one side of me."

"Oh, Mister Xellos!" Marielle laughed. "I absolutely cannot imagine you to act in any way that would label you as uncivilised! I am sure that you are exaggerating."

"Trust me. I don't exaggerate." Xellos replied, grinning. "Speaking of exaggeration… that sorceress that you were after- Lina Inverse- she's actually still alive."

"E-excuse me?" Marielle choked. "Surely you must be joking. I watched her die, Mister Xellos."

"You watched her get gravely injured. However, it seems that she has made a remarkable recovery. Though, I think she's gotten a much better idea of what she's dealing with now. I doubt that she'll be using the tactics that she was using before."

"Well, as long as she stays out of my way, the mission was a success." Marielle sighed.

"Of course." Xellos nodded. "And, Lady Marielle, the side of me that you do see congratulates you highly."

"Well, I must say, I quite like the side of you that I do see, Mister Xellos." Marielle said with a charming smile.

"Thank you again. Isn't it getting toward your bedtime? You must be a tired girl- getting up so early and going to sleep so late!" Xellos interrupted, quickly changing the subject.

"Ah, I guess you are right, Mister Xellos." Marielle sighed. "But, forgive me for saying so, but you certainly are not one to talk- I have not ever seen _you _sleep at all."

"True." Xellos nodded. "But I need much less sleep than you do. You are, after all, a growing girl." He gave a slight wink and chuckled. "_Right?_"

Marielle began to giggle as well. "Oh, Mister Xellos, you are funny! Very funny! I do like you so very much!"

"I do believe that it's bedtime!" Xellos replied, trying to keep the conversation on subject. "I can walk you back to your room, if you'd like!"

"That is very sweet of you, Mister Xellos. I appreciate it." Marielle smiled. "Come along, Poko-chan. Jetta will be waiting for us."

Pokota jumped up and nestled himself in Marielle's arms- closer than he really wanted to be to the girl, but he didn't have much of a choice.

"Now then Milady…" Xellos murmured. "…to bed with you."

* * *

><p>(AN: That scene at the end... gah, I don't like it. Why don't I like it? Grr... it's all Pokota's fault...)


	15. Meetings

Good day to everyone! Isn't life wonderful? Well… here goes nothing, in any case. As per usual, I don't own anything pertaining to Slayers, I'm just a fan having some fun writing fiction! Please do enjoy it, though! ^_^

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><p><strong>15- Meetings; secret and not-so-secret!<strong>

Jetta closed the door to Marielle's room- a room that would have put many small _houses _to shame, Xellos noted. "Is she asleep?" he asked.

"Yes, she is." Jetta nodded.

"That was fast."

"Oh, Marielle falls asleep very quickly. Something nice about being a child, I guess~." Jetta replied wistfully. "It is much easier for them than it is for people like us, correct, Mister Xellos?"

"I suppose…" Xellos murmured. He was simply glad that Jetta was no longer hesitant about the experiment. "Miss Jetta, tell me- how old are you again? I continue to forget, no matter how much you remind me!"

"I shall be twenty, come November." Jetta replied with a smile. "It is only a few months until my birthday- surely you will be willing to celebrate with me and my sister, correct?"

"Oh, of course..." Xellos murmured. He paused for a moment, glancing toward the closed door of Marielle's room. "Marielle will be... eight next April, right?"

"Correct. What of it?" Jetta asked pleasantly.

"Oh, nothing. Just curious. A man has a right to ask questions, does he not?" Xellos responded.

"Ah, but he also has the responsibility to answer questions as well." Jetta replied pointedly.

Xellos seemed taken aback by this statement, so Jetta laughed good-naturedly. "Oh, but I am just teasing you, Mister Xellos! I must say, I have not had the chance to properly thank you- for everything you have done these past 11 years! I am so appreciative of all the things that you have done for me, and, of course, my sister! We could certainly not have gotten to where we are today without your assistance!"

"Think nothing of it…" Xellos waved. He paused, and his voice grew more serious. "Ah, but, would you indulge me one last question?"

Jetta looked up dreamily. "You may always ask me anything, Mister Xellos..." she murmured.

"What do you plan to do once Marielle gains what she so desperately wants?"

Jetta looked disappointed at first, and then confused. "I-I'm sorry... what are you-"

"The experiment, Miss Jetta. What will you do when you've succeeded? Do you know what will happen?" Xellos' voice was now stern, and Jetta took a step back in surprise.

"I-I assume that we will continue to live our lives together... right, Mister Xellos?" Jetta's words were stammered, but she was sincere. Xellos just sighed.

"Of course, of course." He replied.

_So she really doesn't know... she hasn't the slightest idea what's going to happen..._

"Well, thank you, Miss Jetta. I believe I'm going to retire for the night. I'll see you in the morning."

Jetta gave a slight wave as Xellos walked down the hallway. "See you in the morning..."

* * *

><p>Marielle was asleep. Jetta was gone. The room was completely quiet.<p>

This was the moment Pokota had been waiting for.

The stuffed animal stretched wearily. He had never thought about how much he took for granted the ability to get up and move his body the way he wanted to. He wriggled very carefully out of Marielle's stiff grasp- good gods, the girl slept as if she were dead!- and jumped off the bed. It was a lovely, four poster feather bed with a lace canopy overhead. It made Marielle look like a princess- which angered the true prince severely. How could a person who did such terrible things to people ever think of themselves like royalty? It would have made his blood boil- if stuffed animals had blood, that was.

It was too risky to take the door, plus there was no guarantee that he'd be able to find Amelia- however, luckily for Pokota, he had mapped out nearly the entire ventilation system of the house in his mind. He'd be able to get to his friend easily from where he was now… at least, he hoped.

Crawling through the tight passages, Pokota tried to remember exactly where he had been before. He wasn't sure that he could find his way back to the room, or that Amelia would even be in the same room, but there was no sense in not trying.

Finally, he found the entrance to the place that he'd been searching for… except there was one feature that he didn't seem to remember. Since when had there been a grate placed over the opening of the ventilation shaft? Pokota stared through the metal bars, taking in the surroundings. Sure, it was the same room. Perhaps they had caught onto the fact that he had been roaming the house through the ventilation system at night? That could be troublesome! What other way was he supposed to get around?

"Amelia! Amelia! Hey!" he called through the bars, hoping to get an answer. He could see the girl in bed, though he wasn't sure if it was a natural sleep, or if Marielle had done something to her. His fears were alleviated slightly, as he observed Amelia beginning to stir.

"Hmm… wha…?" she murmured. "I could have sworn I heard…"

"Amelia! It's me! Up here!"

Amelia sat up abruptly. "M-Mister Pokota!"

"Hey! Amelia! Someone sealed off the ventilation shaft! Is it possible to open it from your side?" Pokota called, his voice echoing through the tunnels.

Amelia got out of bed, walking over to the wall. She quickly cast a Levitation spell, and floated up to where Pokota was staring at her from the other side of the grate. Placing her hands on the bars, she pulled hard, but the grate was not going anywhere.

"It won't move!" Amelia groaned. "Back up, I'm going to use a spell- maybe I can break it using a Fireball!"

"Got it!" Pokota nodded, rushing backwards into the tunnel slightly. Amelia landed back on the ground and materialised a Fireball in her hands, sending it spiralling toward the grate. The metal bars melted like butter under the heat of the spell, and Pokota approached the red-hot metal warily. "Nice work…" he murmured. Jumping up, he glided easily around the cooling bars of metal and into the room. Amelia caught the stuffed animal in a tight hug.

"Oh, Mister Pokota~! You don't know how glad I am to see a familiar face! After all that's happened… between me… and oh, Miss Lina…" Amelia's face fell, and her eyes began to tear up, as though she were going to cry.

"A-Amelia! Hey! What's wrong?" Pokota gasped, jumping out of her arms.

"I…" Amelia began, collapsing onto the bed. "…I was controlled by Marielle… I didn't have a choice… so I got sent out after Miss Lina and Mister Gourry… and Miss Lina… oh, Mister Pokota, I think I might have _killed _her!"

"D-don't say that!" Pokota gasped. "It's not true- I know it's not. Xellos came by today when Marielle was having a tea party. He said that Lina was alive- that she made a great recovery! It annoyed Marielle, but that's to be expected, right?"

Amelia stood still for a moment, her eyes sparkling. "M-Mister Pokota… she's okay? You're sure she's okay?"

"Yes, yes!" Pokota nodded. "Positive!"

Amelia's eyes filled with tears, and she began to cry, much to Pokota's confusion. "A-Amelia, are you okay…?"

"Oh, thank you!" Amelia sobbed, grabbing Pokota and hugging him tightly. "I'd never be able to live with myself if I'd hurt Miss Lina or anyone else!" she paused, wiping the tears away from her eyes, and then continued. "And… what about Zelgadis? Miss Lina and Mister Gourry told me that he was looking for me… and… is he okay?"

"Zelgadis is fine too." Pokota nodded. "He's perfectly fine- and itching to get you out of here! He's also working with you friend- uh, Naga…"

"Naga?" Amelia murmured. "I don't know anyone named Na- w-wait! Do you mean _Gracia_?"

"Huh?" Pokota replied, and then suddenly remembered their visit to Seyruun. "Oh, right! Yes! She goes by 'Naga' now, but you'd know her as 'Gracia!"

"Oh Gracia!" Amelia exclaimed happily. "I should have known that I could count on her!"

"Yeah- as soon as she heard that you'd been kidnapped, she immediately declared Marielle her enemy, and rushed to help rescue you!"

Amelia's smile brightened even further. "I _knew _I could count on onee-chan to help! I can't wait to see her again- it's been so long!"

"O-onee-chan…?" Pokota gasped.

"Yes, Gracia onee-chan… what's wrong, Mister Pokota?" Amelia asked.

"What? Oh! Nothing! I just… didn't know that Naga… erm, I mean, Gracia… was your sister…"

"You didn't know? Didn't she tell you?" Amelia asked curiously.

"Well… she said that she _knew _you, she just never said _how_…" Pokota murmured.

Amelia thought it over for a moment, sitting back down on the bed. "Perhaps… maybe she still feels bad… but she shouldn't feel bad about something that happened so long ago!"

"What happened?" Pokota inquired. "If… it it's alright to ask."

"It's fine." Amelia nodded. "You see… when our mother died, Gracia ran away. She didn't even say goodbye… Father and I have missed her so much ever since. She _has _sent letters pretty regularly, but they only tell us that she is alive and well, and that she hopes we are too. We haven't heard where she has been, or what she's been doing, though. But now… if she's searching for me, then that means that I'll be able to see her again! Oh, I can't wait!" Amelia jumped to her feet, striking one of her heroic Justice-poses, causing Pokota to smile. "In the name of Justice, we shall escape and bring fitting retribution down upon our captors! Are you with me, Mister Pokota?"

"I'm with you!" Pokota nodded.

Amelia sat back down, smiling brightly. "Thank you. I'm sure that Zelgadis is grateful to you as well. I appreciate everything, Mister Pokota."

Pokota's face brightened. "Not a problem, Amelia. Friends have to stick together, right?"

Amelia smiled in return. "I couldn't have said it better myself! We're going to get out of this, I promise. And when it's all over- will you be sure to come to Zelgadis' and my wedding? You don't know how happy it would make me for you to be there-"

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Pokota exclaimed. "I'll be there, I promise. But first we've got to get out of this mess!"

Amelia nodded briskly. "Right! Right!"

Pokota wavered hesitantly, shooting a glance at the melted bars of the grate. "I… I don't want to go… but I'm deathly afraid that, if Marielle wakes up and catches me gone, then I'll be in a heap of trouble… and you might too."

"I see." Amelia frowned, but nodded in agreement. "I understand. I hope you'll come and talk to me again tomorrow night. It's so lonely…"

"If I can, I will. I promise." Pokota agreed. He jumped up and made his way back to the opening in the ventilation shaft. "Thanks, Amelia. And… I'm sorry…"

"Sorry?" Amelia questioned. "Sorry for what?"

"Well… it's awfully kind of you to say all those nice things to me… but I know that I'm not Zelgadis. You miss him an awful lot, don't you?"

Amelia bit her lip and stared at her dear friend sheepishly. "Mister Pokota… thanks for helping me anyway. It's just nice to have _someone_. I appreciate it."

Pokota smiled and nodded. "You're welcome. G'night, Amelia."

"Good night, Pokota."

Feeling satisfied- not to mention filled with new hope- Pokota scampered down the ventilation shaft back to Marielle's room. He didn't know what horrors Marielle would have for him to face the next day, but with the promise of getting away and getting back at Marielle for all that she'd done made him optimistic enough to face it.

Halfway down the tiny passageway, he stopped, a sudden realisation coming to him. If Zelgadis married Amelia… then that would make Naga his sister-in-law! Pokota clutched his head, feeling sorry for his friend at the thought of it. He murmured softly to himself. "Cepheid help him…"

* * *

><p>Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, and Naga continued on toward Lyzeille. Thanks to the spell that Xellos had shown Zelgadis, his 'headaches' were less severe, and occurring with less frequency- at least for the moment. Lina and Gourry said that it was great news. They were amazed that Xellos could actually be helpful for once, and said that they were sure that Zelgadis would be completely fine by the time they rescued Amelia and Pokota.<p>

Zelgadis kept his mouth closed.

Naga said nothing either, and Zelgadis silently thanked her by keeping quiet concerning what he'd figured out. Though not completely sure of her reasoning for keeping her relationship with Amelia a secret, she was intent on it, and had said nothing of the subject, so he did the same.

Belz was not far from the border of Lyzeille, and everyone was both excited and apprehensive to reach it. It was fairly large, and bustling with activity. Lina commented that it reminded her of Vezendi, just without the crazed assassin in residence. Zelgadis replied that, since they still weren't sure what Marielle's intentions were, Belz might, at one point, _have_ had its own assassin.

"So where do you begin looking for information in a town like this?" Naga wondered out loud.

"Just start asking people, I guess." Lina shrugged. "C'mon, Gourry. We can split up! You and I can go this way, and Naga and Zel can go somewhere else. That okay with you guys?" she shot an amused glance at her chimera friend, waiting to see how he'd object to the arrangement.

"Fine by me." Zelgadis nodded, no sign of objection or hesitance in his voice at all.

"Sounds great!" Naga exclaimed. "C'mon, freak! Let's go find out what that little jerk is up to with poor Amelia and Pokota~!" She grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him off.

"H-hey! Naga! Let go~! I'm coming, I'm coming-" Zelgadis' protests were in vain as the sorceress' grip on his arm did not waver.

Lina and Gourry stared as Naga ran off with Zelgadis in tow. "Since when are those two friends?" Gourry asked.

"Don't look at me. I didn't organise a peace conference between them or anything. I guess they worked it out on their own." Lina said.

"Well, that's good." Gourry nodded. "After all, they ought to get along. They both care about Amelia so much."

Lina nodded and took off in another direction, motioning for Gourry to follow.

* * *

><p>It had not taken them long to get word of the Arcarti family- everyone in Belz seemed to know of them. A wealthy, foreign family that had taken up residence near the city had been of much interest when they'd lived there.<p>

Finding people who knew _about _them, however, was a more difficult task. Naga and Zelgadis has finally come across an older man who had once been a gardener for the family when they had lived in a mansion just outside of the city. He knew a bit about the family and was willing to share it with the group- Lina and Gourry quickly joined them as well. His only memento of the family was a small picture that he had acquired when they left Belz. It displayed two children, perhaps about 9 or 10 years old.

Lina picked up the photograph in astonishment, her hand trembling. The rest of the group crowded around her, the same shock playing out over their faces.

"N-no way… it can't be…" Lina murmured.

"Is that your girl?" the man asked curiously.

Lina nodded slowly. It was blatantly obvious that one of the girls in the picture was Marielle. Figuring out _which_ one, however, was much more difficult.

"Identical twins?" Naga gasped. "B-but that's impossible! Marielle never had a twin sister! At least, I never saw one!"

"This is the first I've heard of it as well." Zelgadis nodded.

"Marielle…" the old man murmured to himself. "Yeah, that was the name of one of them, though I can't remember which one. If you're talking about her, I guess it would have to have been the younger one. The elder twin died of smallpox. There was an outbreak in the city and both girls caught it, though the younger one managed to live. It was kinda sad too, because they both always had so much potential. The girls were sweet little things, always kind and polite."

"Well, the girl in that picture is Marielle alright." Lina nodded, taking another look at the picture.

"But I never knew that she had an older twin sister who died…"

The man nodded. "It was quite sad. The two of them would often come out into the garden to do sewing and such for their dolls. They made their own dolls, you see. Both of them had quite a talent for it. And other things, which were a bit stranger..."

"What strange things?" Lina asked.

"I don't remember."

The entire group fell over with a crash. "Oh man…" Lina groaned, getting up. "Gourry, do you think you're related to this guy?"

"I can't say that I am." Gourry replied.

"What's the matter with you all?" the man asked, turning his head curiously.

"N-nothing… we were just hoping that we could get more information." Zelgadis sighed. "But what you've given us a lot of good information just in this. Thank you very much."

"Of course." the man nodded. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you more. Unfortunately, after the older girl died, the younger one apparently ran away from home. Took all of her inheritance and everything she owned, and just fled the house. The rest of the family was distraught, and moved away almost immediately. So they've been gone since then…"

"How long ago was that?" Zelgadis asked.

"Ah, that was just a few months after this picture was taken… so… about ten years ago…"

Lina choked.

"_T-ten years ago_?"

* * *

><p>(AN: I'm going to be lazy and not put a note… oh, but wait- this _is _a note. So… huh… O_O)


	16. Plotting

Heya! I decided that this story didn't have enough questions to it already, so I decided to add some more problematic mysteries to the mix. ...yeah... Anyhow, I don't own anything pertaining to Slayers, I just enjoy making up crazy, convoluted plotlines to make readers scratch their heads in confusion. It's all going somewhere, I promise. ...at least, maybe...

* * *

><p><strong>16- Plotting; More questions than answers and plans put together!<strong>

"Hey~! Amelia! Wake up!"

It had been over a week since Pokota had started visiting Amelia, as they discussed their own escape plans while theorising what Lina and the others might be planning on their own. Amelia had been awake waiting for her friend the nights before, but this time she wasn't. He figured that perhaps Marielle had been harassing her that day- as she hadn't had the time to 'play' with him at all, something he was very grateful for. However, his rationalisation turned into fear as he saw that Amelia was not responding to his voice. "A-Amelia!" he called again! "Wake up!"

Pokota quickly jumped around the melted bars of the grate that had once covered the entrance to the ventilation shaft, and landed on the bed. He tried to shake Amelia awake, but with no results. "Hey~! Amelia! Is something wrong?"

She didn't have to answer. It was obvious that something _was _wrong. This was no natural sleep, and Pokota caught on to that fast. He was about to try waking her again, but was grabbed by the ears and pulled from the bed forcefully.

"My, my. It would seem that we have a pest problem here. I thought that I'd done so well by sealing off that shaft, too, though, from the looks of it, you found your way around that easily."

"X-Xellos!" Pokota growled. "What's wrong with Amelia? Why won't she wake up?"

"That's a secret." Xellos replied curtly. "And we really can't have you interfering. This is a controlled experiment, after all."

"C-controlled experiment?" Pokota choked. "What experiment? Tell me, Xellos!"

"Now, didn't I say that is was a secret? You really ought to listen to someone when they're speaking to you, prince!" Xellos laughed. "In any case, Lady Marielle will be very unhappy to see that you were out of bed. I'm going to keep track of you until tomorrow morning, as I'm not supposed to disturb the mistress while she is asleep. But I'm sure she'll have a suitable punishment for you in the morning. Meanwhile, I'm just going to set you right here…" Xellos took Pokota and placed him on a shelf in the corner of the room. Pokota felt his body tense up, and some sort of magic hold him in place.

"X-Xellos…" he managed to choke out before he was forced into silence.

"Now, that's a good little stuffed animal." Xellos nodded. "You wanted to see your friend so badly, that I'm not going to disappoint you. I'll let you sit on this shelf and help me with my assignment, since I was asked to monitor the experiment, to make sure that there are no changes in her condition. This is a very important step, or so Lady Marielle says, so we simply cannot have you getting in our way. I'm sorry, Mister Pokota."

* * *

><p>"<em>T-ten years ago<em>? B-but that's impossible!" Lina gasped.

"No, I promise you, it was ten... no, eleven years ago- eleven. Why? What's wrong?" the man asked.

"Er… um… hold on a second!" Lina said, pulling her companions back. "Group conference!"

"Lina, what's this all about?" Gourry whispered.

"You idiot! Just take a look at that picture! It can't possibly be eleven years old!" Lina hissed.

"Either that, or Marielle looks_ exactly_ the way she did eleven years ago." Zelgadis offered.

"Well, if she was a grown woman, I'd say that looking the same as you did eleven years ago would be a great thing! But… she's just a little girl…" Naga agreed.

"Naga, I've got a question." Lina began. "Marielle's intelligence- you probably know more about it than we do. Did she seem… smarter than someone her age ought to be?"

"Now that you mention it… I'd say that she did. She did save me, after all. She had quite a working knowledge of many magical techniques and spells- plus a very in-depth understanding of the human body." Naga nodded.

"So perhaps… she could have just stopped her own aging process… somehow…" Lina murmured.

"But why?" Gourry asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Lina shrugged. "Though we've seen that there are some advantages to being a little girl- the feigned innocence for one thing. It was a tactic that Hellmaster used… perhaps Marielle caught onto that? She's using Hellmaster's Jars, after all…"

"I'd guess that maybe she's a Mazoku, but Xellos already told us that's not the case…" Zelgadis murmured.

"But if she's not a Mazoku, then what is she? She can't be human…" Naga murmured.

"That," Lina began. "is a good question…"

"Excuse me, but is something wrong?" the man spoke up.

"N-no! Nothing's wrong! Thank you so much for the information!" Lina assured the man. "Say… you said that a priest came and healed Marielle from her sickness… do you remember the priest's name or anything about them?"

"Information about the priest, huh…? Well… he was apparently a really famous guy… he carried this strange staff and dressed all in red…"

"Rezo!" the group exclaimed.

"Huh, I guess that was his name." The man nodded. "You all seem to know a great deal about all these people-"

"Thanks for everything, sir, but we've got to leave now! We've got some… important things to discuss!" Lina began, handing the picture back to the elderly man. He didn't take it, looking rather astonished at the girl.

"What… so soon? I was going to offer you nice people some tea or something-"

"I'm sorry, but we haven't got that much time! We appreciate your help, though! Thanks for showing us the picture as well!" Lina interrupted again, shoving the picture back at the man.

"You may take that, if you like. I have no real attachment to it, and if you know… what was her name… Marielle as well as you say, then you might be able to make more use of it. Return it to her, if nothing else. Perhaps she'd like a reminder of her older sister. I'd meant to give it to the family, but I didn't have a chance to do it before they left."

"Thank you." Zelgadis smiled. "That's kind of you."

"I'm glad to help you." the man nodded. "Take good care of that photo."

"We will." Lina promised.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe this! We travel all the way to Belz in order to get answers, and all we end up with are more questions than we had before!" Lina growled, biting into her dinner angrily. "Why hasn't she ever mentioned having a twin? What does that have to do with her experiments? What is she trying to accomplish? Why hasn't her appearance changed in eleven whole years?"<p>

"And what are we supposed to do now?" Zelgadis added.

"That's a good question too." Lina sighed.

"Well… we know that her mansion is in southern Seyruun…" Naga mentioned, refilling a glass of wine that she'd already emptied several times over in frustration. "My family's got a summer home near there that they never use. I say we go there and use it as a home base to attack the mansion." She jumped up, banging her hands on the table with intoxicated determination. "We bust out with Amelia and Pokota, burn the place to the ground, and be done with it! OHOHOHOHOHO~!"

"Burning down buildings does not solve all the world's problems, Naga!" Lina growled, obviously not having forgotten her initial meeting with her self-proclaimed rival.

"Still, it's a good idea from someone who's so obviously drunk." Zelgadis murmured. "About the home base thing, I mean. If we really do have a place of our own to work out of, it would make things a lot easier."

"I am not drunk!" Naga defended, filling her glass yet another time.

"Don't say that while pouring yourself a fifth glass of wine! I think you've had enough!" Lina yelled, snatching the glass away.

"Heeey~! Lina~! No fair!" Naga whined. "Gimme that!"

"You don't need it!" Lina shot back. "I'll give it to Zel, instead!" She pushed the glass across the table toward her chimera friend.

"_I _don't want it." he defended, pushing the glass back.

"Gourry?" Lina offered.

"No, thank you."

"Fine." Lina sighed, taking a tiny sip of the drink herself, and setting it back on the table. "Naga won't want to drink after me anyway."

"That's the most childish trick in the book!" Naga growled.

"It works." Lina replied, waving a finger teasingly. "And I never said that I _wasn't _going to drink it all eventually. But downing it like you do is dangerous."

Naga crossed her arms and pouted in frustration, but said nothing. Zelgadis attempted to bring the subject back to what they were supposed to be discussing. "Okay, so is it decided that we should head back toward Seyruun?"

"Sounds good to me." Naga nodded.

"Aww, Seyruun is so far away~!" Gourry sighed. "All this fast-paced travelling is making me tired! Lina and I usually don't go at such a fast pace, and we stop a lot to enjoy the scenery or search for treasure. Walking such a long distance every day… I don't know how much longer I can take it…"

Lina leaned against her protector's shoulder, nodding in agreement. "Gourry's right, you guys. I'm not used to this insanely fast pace either. Can we take a break, or at least slow it down a bit? I'd really like to get some more sleep."

"We can sleep when we're dead!" Naga yelled, banging her hands on the table.

"And for some of us, that might be sooner than others…" Zelgadis murmured. "So let's try to be efficient, okay? Besides, once we reach that house that Naga was talking about, we'll be able to stay there for a while. You can rest then."

"Not a house, a summer home." Naga corrected.

"How big is this 'summer home?' Is it really big enough for the four of us?" Lina questioned.

"Of course! It's got five bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, dining area, and a two-story library. Not to mention a large garden behind the house."

Lina nearly fell out of her chair. "A-and you call that a _summer home_? My family only had one house year-round, and it was _nothing _like that!"

Yeah, well… I think our families were a little bit different…" Naga murmured. Zelgadis caught that, and realised that he was the only one who knew just how different their families really were.

"In any case," Zelgadis continued, not wanting the conversation to turn toward exactly what the differences between the families were, "if we want to make good time tomorrow, we'll have to get to bed early. I'm pretty tired myself, so I'm going to head that way right now." The chimera stood up, grabbing his cloak from the back of the chair, and headed toward the staircase that led to the second floor of the inn.

"I'll go too." Lina nodded, standing up.

"Wait for me!" Gourry exclaimed, always wary of letting Lina get to the room before he did.

Naga stared at her friends as they all began to leave. "Lina," she began. "you're wasting half of a perfectly good glass of wine."

"If it bothers you so much, then you drink it." Lina shrugged.

Naga gave a glance to the glass, and then pushed it away. "Eww. No thanks."

"Suit yourself." Lina nodded. "Just remember that I'm not going to pity you if you're hung over tomorrow."

"Don't worry about that. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." Naga responded. "G'night."

"Good night."

* * *

><p>"Mister Xellos, you can levitate, can you not? Can you please dust the moulding near the ceiling? Dust collects there ever so terribly, and it is such a pain to dust every year."<p>

Xellos took one look at the intricate carvings on the moulding that accentuated the space where the wall met the ceiling throughout the entire grand ballroom, and realised that 'pain' was a massive understatement.

"I-is this really necessary, Milady?" he questioned reluctantly. "I mean… who's going to look up at the ceiling and say to themselves, 'oh, that ceiling moulding is so dusty'?"

Marielle frowned. "No one. However, dust that collects there can end up falling like rain if the conditions in the ballroom are just right, and I do not want any guests with severe allergies to not be able to enjoy my party. I wish to be as good a hostess as possible, you know."

"And what is to say that _I, myself,_ don't have allergies regarding dust particles?" Xellos pointed out.

"Do you?" Marielle asked with impatient concern.

"No. I don't."

"Then get to work!" the girl smiled brightly. "We shall have this place cleaned and decorated for a grand masquerade ball in no time!"

"A grand masquerade ball, hmm? How very interesting…" Xellos murmured. He grabbed the feather duster that Marielle had provided him with, grimacing angrily. _Lord Beastmaster told me to work for Marielle and assist her with her experiments in order to make sure that her final objective is beneficial to the Mazoku race. Not to be stuck dusting ceiling moulding! I'm really starting to loathe this job! As for Marielle… I really started loathing her a long time ago…_

"Is something the matter, Mister Xellos?"

Xellos opened one eye and turned back toward Marielle with a smile. "Oh, it's nothing, Milady! I was just thinking… did you know that the main cause of allergic reactions to dust is actually a reaction to the fecal matter of the dust mites that live within it? And according to my friend's apprentice, dust mites are actually arachnids- just like spiders. So, in a sense, those people are not allergic to dust itself, but to 'spider' droppings within the dust. Isn't that amazing to think about?"

Marielle's expression twisted into a look that seemed to mix surprise and disgust, as well as some other expressions that don't even have names. "Dear gods, that may be _the _most utterly revolting thing I have _ever _heard in my entire life."

"Isn't biology wonderful?" Xellos grinned, already feeling better.

"In truth, I would say not. It is biology that is working against us in the experiments that I perform, so it is troubling at times. Oh! That reminds me! Speaking of experiments, I am going to need you to perform a test on my latest experiment in the next few days. You can do that while delivering invitations, since it involves seeking out the same people."

Xellos was up at the ceiling by this point, actively dusting. "The same people? You're going to invite _them_?"

Marielle shrugged. "They have thwarted every attempt I have created to kill them, so I have decided to follow the advice of the old proverb that I once heard- if you cannot beat them, then get them to join you."

Xellos frowned, interrupting. "I think that's a little off-"

Marielle ignored him. "Therefore I have decided to attempt to make amends and invite them to my masquerade ball. I will be needing them to test my subject anyway, so it is only fair. Which also reminds me that I have a lot of experimental work to be done. Once you are finished dusting that ceiling moulding, I will require your help."

"There are still things to be done? But I thought that your experiment with Amelia was completed for the moment-"

"It is." Marielle nodded. "But I must ask you to keep an eye on my experiments during the party. I am concerned about the invitees, and how the experiments might interact with the guests, and so, despite my wishes for them to have a good time, I must keep them away from the party."

"To keep them in line, right?" Xellos asked. "Just to make sure they don't do anything that might cause us problems?"

"Precisely." Marielle grinned. "You are quite smart, Mister Xellos."

"And you are quite devious, Lady Marielle. Will you make sure that they won't be able to get away?"

"Of course. All of my experiments are magically bound to the house. But thank you for considering it." Marielle bowed gratefully. "Ah, and Mister Xellos, before I finish making out the invitations, is there a particular… young woman… that you would wish to invite? You have been such an amazing employee, I want to make this as enjoyable for you as possible."

"A particular young woman, you say?" Xellos thought it over. "Well, I'd say yes, but for the sake of your other guests, you wouldn't want her at your party. The dragon race isn't known for being very even-tempered, I'm afraid."

Marielle's expression lit up. "Dragon race? Is that to say that you've fallen in love with a dragon maiden?"

Xellos nearly dropped the feather duster in his laughter. "Hahaha~! Oh, Lady Marielle, that's funny! No, no, no~! I _never _said anything about that! You asked me if there was a young woman I'd like to invite, and I answered. I never meant as my date, I just like getting on her nerves. Haha~!"

"Oh." Marielle murmured. "Well, it is just my observation, but immature boys have a habit of picking on the girls that they like. Just keep that in mind." She turned around, heading toward the door. "Ah, but I have other things to attend to! Good luck with the dusting, Mister Xellos!"

Xellos stared at the door Marielle had exited through for a moment. "Lady Marielle… while that may be true, if there were many similarities between immature boys and thousand-year-old Mazoku, the world would have quite a problem, now wouldn't it?" He then stared at the feather duster, and, with a disdainful expression, tossed it across the room. It fell all the way to the floor with a loud clatter. Xellos phased to a table on one of the balconies that adjoined to the ballroom, waving his hand to create a cup of tea.

"A little dust never killed any humans before… at least, that I know of…"

* * *

><p>"I am so tired, I think my legs are going to give up and stop working…" Lina complained.<p>

"And I'd try to be a gentleman and offer to carry you, but I honestly don't think I can make it as it is." Gourry groaned in agreement.

"Come on, slackers! Pick up the pace! We're almost there! We should get there in time for dinner!" Naga yelled, leading the way. Zelgadis was following closely behind her, scrutinising a map of the region, while Naga simply led by the landmarks she remembered. Lina and Gourry were pulling up the rear, always being sure to have some sort of complaint. If they weren't hungry (which wasn't often), they were either tired or in pain.

"Be reasonable, you two." Zelgadis requested. "We've been travelling for a week, which is difficult, but we've almost arrived anyway, so-"

"Oh, you can shut up, Zel! You don't need to eat and sleep as much as we _normal _people do!"

"And you _normal _people obviously don't want to rescue Amelia and Pokota as much as those of us who actually _care_!"

Lina frowned, and Zelgadis slightly regretted what he'd said. It was a low blow and he knew it. It was obvious that, despite their complaints, Lina and Gourry were concerned beyond belief for their friends, and didn't need reminding of exactly why they were going on this long trip in the first place.

"I'm not even going to try to argue with you, Zel." Lina spat. "We don't have time for it, apparently. Gourry and I apologise for being tired and hungry, but that's just how we are. It's not like we're not worried on top of it."

"I'm sorry. I know you're just as anxious as I am." Zelgadis sighed. "But we've got to keep moving if we want to rescue our friends."

"I know. I'm sorry we complained so much." Lina apologised.

"That's alright. It doesn't matter." Zelgadis replied.

The group walked in silence for a long time, no one willing to speak. They were fully prepared to walk the rest of the way in silence, however, some people had other plans…

"Hello there! You four aren't busy right now, are you? I figure you're not!"

Everyone stiffened and turned around at the sound of the painfully familiar voice. "X-Xellos!" Lina growled. "What in the world do you _want-_" Her sentence cut off abruptly as she noticed who Xellos had brought with him.

Zelgadis pulled out his sword quickly. "What are you _doing_ with her? Why do you have Amelia?"

"Oh Zelgadis, there's no need for that kind of violence." Xellos chuckled. "She's all yours." He shoved the princess in the group's direction, where a rather dazed and confused-looking Amelia was caught by an equally confused Naga and Zelgadis.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you lovely people around later, okay?" Xellos waved.

"WAIT!" Lina yelled, running and grabbing Xellos by his cape before he could take off again. "Xellos, what are you up to? Are you telling us that you could have rescued Amelia and brought her here this whole time, and you didn't? I know you're working for Marielle, but how could you?"

"I assure you, that's not the case, Miss Lina. Marielle has quite intricate methods of keeping her experimental subjects bound to the manor, preventing all means of escape. I thought you would have realised this, since Amelia would have been fully capable of getting away otherwise. This is the first chance I've had to bring her outside the mansion without some extremely… _ill effects_…"

"Ill effects? What ill effects? Why could you suddenly bring her now? And what about Pokota? Why didn't you bring him too? Where is he?" Lina demanded.

"Oh, Miss Lina… I'm afraid those are all secrets…" Xellos said with a smirk.

Lina scowled and took a step back, muttering a spell under her breath. _"Oh, source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson, let thy power gather-"_

She wasn't able to finish her Fireball, however, as Zelgadis called out to her instead.

"Forget him, Lina! Something's wrong with Amelia!"

"Something very wrong!" Naga added hastily.

Lina let go of the Mazoku, rushing quickly to Amelia's side along with Gourry.

"A-Amelia…?" she gasped incredulously. "What in the world is wrong with you? What have they done to you?"

* * *

><p>(AN: This is where I'll stop periodically and thank everyone who's put up with this story so far- it really means a lot to me that you'd read all this way! Thanks to everyone just for reading, and a really big thanks to everyone who has left a review- especially the unsigned reviewers, whom I'm unable to respond directly to, since I'm not allowed to do it here... even though I sort of did. Shhh! All of you guys that are reading this are so awesome- thanks bunches!)


	17. Thief!

Here is chapter 17 for you! Do enjoy! As usual, I don't own anything regarding Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction for my own enjoyment.

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><p><strong>17- Thief! Just what kind of thievery crosses the line?<strong>

"What in the world is wrong with you? What have they _done _to you?"

Amelia cocked her head to the side in confusion. "I'm sorry. I don't quite understand, Miss Lina. Nothing's wrong with me. I'm not in any kind of pain."

"B-but… there's something…" Zelgadis continued. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something wasn't right about Amelia. It had been a long time since he'd seen her, true, but even he knew that the real Amelia wasn't like this. After all, she hadn't thrown herself at him to hug him yet. That alone was a sign that something was, indeed, wrong.

"She's right, you know." Xellos offered. "Nothing's really _wrong _with her, per se. Though, I guess, on the same note you could say that nothing's really _right _with her either. She's sort of… 'on neutral'- if that makes sense."

"On neutral? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Lina demanded.

"Neutral?" Amelia questioned.

"Well, speaking emotion-wise, yes. It would be similar to how a doll processes information- with no emotions involved. Basically happiness, sadness, and other emotions are beyond her realm of comprehension at the moment. That's why she's not excited to see the four of you. She doesn't know what excitement is."

"So she's… l-like a doll?" Naga gasped.

"I'm confused…" Amelia murmured.

"Hah! See? She just said that she was confused! That's an emotion- right?" Lina pointed out.

"No, confusion is a mental state, in which the information that is being processed by the brain is incomprehensible. This talk of emotions is simply beyond her at the moment." Xellos corrected.

"So Marielle did this?" Zelgadis snarled.

"Well, of course- I wouldn't do this myself. If humans couldn't feel emotions, then we Mazoku would go quite hungry, I can assure you of that."

"So how are we supposed to fix it?" Gourry asked, looking rather confused himself.

"Now, now." Xellos chided, waving his index finger in the air. "That is…"

The entire group braced themselves for what they were positive was coming next.

"…something I have absolutely no idea how to do!"

Everyone- sans Xellos and Amelia, of course- crashed to the ground. "You've got to be kidding me…" Zelgadis murmured.

Amelia gasped at her friend's reaction. "Z-Zelgadis? Gracia? Miss Lina? Mister Gourry? Are you hurt?"

"Good luck with her." Xellos replied, waving. "I'll be around some. Ciao!"

"Wait! Mister Xellos, where are you going?" Amelia called.

"That's a secret, Miss Amelia." Xellos waved back.

"Alright then. Farewell for the moment." Amelia nodded in the Mazoku's direction as he disappeared from view. She turned back to her friends, who were still on the ground. "Are you sure you're not hurt at all?"

"We're fine." Lina assured her. "You're the one who's hurt!"

"Me?" Amelia questioned blankly. "But I'm not-"

"Amelia! Snap out of it!" Naga yelled, grabbing Amelia by the shoulders and shaking her forcefully.

"G-Gracia, what a-are you d-doing?" Amelia managed to say as her sister shook her back and forth.

"Amelia, you've gotta come back! You're just not yourself without that lovely spark of Justice that you've always had! Please! Whatever Marielle did to you, we've gotta be able to reverse it somehow! What did she do to you?"

"I don't know what she did." Amelia replied. "And I wasn't aware that 'Justice' was an emotion."

"It is with Amelia!" Naga yelled.

"Amelia, hey! It's us! Lina and Gourry and Zel and… Gracia, apparently…" Lina began. "You know us!" She paused for a moment, and raised her hands, focusing her gaze on Amelia. "_FLOW BREAK_!"

No one moved for a long moment, staring at one another. Amelia was the first to speak up, the blank tone not having left her voice.

"Miss Lina, what were you trying to do?"

Lina sighed. "Well, it was worth a try, I guess."

"So whatever's done this is more than a simple spell." Zelgadis observed.

"And that means that it'll take more than a simple spell to cure it." Lina nodded.

"So what do we do?" Gourry asked, just as confused as ever.

"I… I don't know! Do you expect me to have to answers to everything, Jellyfish-brain?"

"N-no!" Gourry defended. "I just thought…"

"We could try talking to her." Zelgadis shrugged. "Find out just what Marielle's been doing. Maybe it'll jump-start her memory a little."

Lina sighed. "Okay, Amelia. You want to talk?"

"That's fine." Amelia said, sitting down as her friends joined her. "What about?"

"First of all, what is Marielle trying to do, anyway?"

"I don't know." Amelia replied.

"Uh… do you know why she did this to you?" Gourry ventured.

"I might if you tell me what 'this' is." Amelia stated.

Lina groaned. "We're not getting anywhere. Look, Amelia, to put this in terms you'd understand, Marielle stole something very precious from you."

"Something… precious?" Amelia blinked.

"Yes. But you don't know what it is because she stole it."

"I don't get it."

"Lina, I don't think I get it either…" Gourry sighed.

"We're_ still_ not getting anywhere." Zelgadis observed.

Amelia spoke up again. "So Miss Marielle stole something precious…?"

Naga jumped up. "_It was your heart_!" she yelled.

"No it wasn't! Marielle didn't go that far!" Lina exclaimed, grabbing Naga and forcing her to sit down again.

"My heart…?" Amelia murmured.

"No, no! Just your emotions, Amelia!" Lina assured her friend.

"Wouldn't that be the same thing?" Gourry asked. "Because you feel emotions with your heart, right?"

"That would be the brain." Zelgadis corrected. "The heart is a muscle that supplies blood to-"

"We're talking figurative hearts here, Zel!" Lina interrupted. "In which case, Gourry would be right."

"So if Amelia still has a heart, then we must be able to get back her emotions somehow!" Naga exclaimed.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Zelgadis demanded.

"I don't know." Naga stated. "However, I refuse to sit by and let Amelia be turned into some sort of emotionless doll! I don't care what that stupid Marielle wants to do, she can't prey on innocent people's emotions like this! This is an outrage!" The sorceress was on her feet, and leaped up to the branches of a nearby tree, striking a familiar, heroic pose. "In the name of Justice, I cannot allow such atrocities to be performed- especially on those close to me! I cannot even begin to list all the ways that this is wrong! A wonderful young girl such as Amelia should never be subjected to such harsh, cruel, unjust torture! Everyone! We have to work together to right the wrongs of this situation, first and foremost, rescuing our beloved Amelia from such a terrifying fate! It is our job to not rest until the situation is rectified and the evildoers have been punished for their wrongdoings! OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO~!"

Naga let out a long, loud laugh, the likes of which even her friends hadn't heard before. Zelgadis had to quickly cover his ears against the piercing noise, and even Lina and Gourry had to protect their eardrums as well. The only person not covering their ears was Amelia. She simply stood, staring wide-eyed at Naga.

The sorceress leapt down from the tree she had been using as a platform and stood in front of her sister, still laughing. Amelia blinked for a moment. "G-Gra…"

Seeing Amelia speaking, Naga stopped laughing in order to hear her sister. Amelia's face broke into a huge smile. "GRACIA~!" She tackled Naga in a huge, Seyruun-style hug.

Naga blinked in confusion for a moment, and then realised what was going on. "Amelia!" she exclaimed, hugging her sister tightly. "You're back! I knew that the power of Justice could overcome any obstacle!"

"The power of Justice…?" Lina murmured. "Actually… I think… it was _her laugh_."

"Her laugh?" Gourry questioned.

"Well, she's got a laugh that could practically wake the dead. Is it so strange that she could get Amelia back to normal with it?" Zelgadis shrugged.

"Oh Gracia~! The moment I heard that beautiful laughter, I knew that it could only be _you_!" Amelia exclaimed, clutching her sister tighter.

"Beautiful laughter? Okay, I think she's still got a few screws loose." Lina muttered.

"That's how Amelia always was." Zelgadis said. "Believe me, I wouldn't want her any other way."

"Oh Amelia, I missed you so much! And once I heard what kinds of vile, unjust things that Marielle brat did to you, I couldn't rest until you were safely returned to normal!" Naga exclaimed, smiling brightly.

"Oh Gracia~!"

"Oh Amelia~!"

"Oh, will you two give it a rest, already?" Lina groaned.

"It's nice to see you too, Miss Lina." Amelia replied pointedly. "But Gracia, it's been so long! Everyone at home has missed you terribly since you left!"

Naga sighed. "I'm sorry Amelia. But there were things I had to do on my own. I couldn't stay home. You understand, right?"

"Yes, of course." Amelia nodded. "Ah, but I have just one question."

"Ask anything!" Naga replied fervently.

"…what are you _wearing_?"

Apparently, Naga's definition of 'anything' hadn't included _that_. She paused for a long moment, and then began stammering. "Um, er… well… you see… that's a really long story… and I… um… it actually used to belong to...er, well…" She stopped and grabbed Amelia by the shoulders, turning her around and giving her a shove toward her friends. "Go hug Zelgadis. He's missed you something awful."

In Lina's opinion, it was a pretty flimsy attempt to change the subject, but it certainly worked. With the not-so-subtle reminder of her fiancé, Amelia forgot her sister's choice of clothing for the moment. "Zelgadis~!" she yelled, grabbing the chimera in a forceful hug that knocked him off-balance, causing them both to fall on the ground with a crash. "Oops, sorry!" Amelia apologised quickly.

"No apologies necessary." Zelgadis breathed, attempting to get back on his feet. "Honestly, I've kind of missed being attacked with hugs on a regular basis. Strange, right?"

Amelia laughed. "Well, I can say that I've missed attacking you with hugs, so we're even, I suppose."

Gourry put a hand on Amelia's shoulder. "It's good to have you back."

"Yeah!" Lina agreed. "We've seen you as a puppet and an emotionless doll, so you have no idea how great it is to see the real Amelia again!"

Amelia stared at Lina for a moment, her eyes tearing up. "Oh, Miss Lina! I'm so sorry!" Amelia caught the sorceress in a tight hug- though a gentle one, Lina noted. Amelia even did her best to avoid the shoulder that she'd injured, despite the fact that it had healed very well.

"Hey, now! None of that was your fault and you know it! So don't worry about it- okay?" Lina offered her friend a smile.

"Th-thank you… Miss Lina." Amelia nodded. She let go of the sorceress and clung to Zelgadis again. "I'm just so glad to see all of you! But… how'd I get here?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Zelgadis asked. "Xellos brought you."

"Mister Xellos?" Amelia gasped. "B-but why? He's working for Miss Marielle!"

"Actually he's on our side." Lina replied.

"Or so he _says_." Gourry added quickly, a disapproving expression on his face.

Lina stepped on Gourry's foot. "That was almost two weeks ago." she whispered harshly. "Just forget it like you do with everything else."

Amelia blinked in confusion. "Zelgadis?" she murmured. "What did Mister Xellos do to make Mister Gourry so angry at him?"

"It's a long story." Zelgadis whispered in reply.

"Mister Gourry, if you don't trust me that much, I can cut this visit short. Maybe I'll even take Miss Lina with us when we leave. I'm sure that Lady Marielle can find a good use for her."

The five of them turned around quickly to find Xellos watching them from the air. He was smiling mischievously, pleased at the fact that they hadn't noticed his presence until now.

"Wh-what do you mean, _visit_?" Zelgadis growled, suddenly becoming very protective of Amelia.

"That's not even funny to joke about!" Gourry agreed, grabbing Lina with one hand and sheathing his sword with the other.

"What I mean is that this is a controlled experiment." Xellos replied. "Lady Marielle sent me to observe how her experiment- namely, Miss Amelia- would react to outside influences, mainly emotional triggers. I should have already returned to the mansion with Miss Amelia in tow, but I'm being a little lenient with the time parameters. I'm sure I'll get scolded for it later, but aren't you glad I allowed you a bit of leeway here to catch up? Or do you think I should have followed orders to the letter?"

Zelgadis clenched his teeth. "So you mean that you brought her here just so that you could toy with us, Xellos?" He put his arms around Amelia, who was clutching him even tighter at this point.

"Not toy with you, Mister Zelgadis. To observe, and take notes for Lady Marielle. Don't believe for a second that I was toying with you. If there's anyone I'd enjoy toying with right now, it's my… erm… _boss_." Xellos chided.

"If you really dislike her as much as you say, then why don't you?" Lina demanded.

"Oh, I do. Trust me." Xellos said with a grin. "But only to a certain point. I have a mission to fulfil, after all."

"And that mission is?" Naga asked.

"Well now, that's a secret."

"XELLOS!" Zelgadis yelled. "I don't care what mission you have, you're not taking Amelia!"

Xellos levitated closer to the chimera, staring pointedly at him. "I really don't think you have room to talk, Zelgadis, seeing as though you wouldn't be here in one piece right now if it weren't for my help. Shouldn't you show at least a little gratitude?"

Amelia looked up at Zelgadis puzzledly. "What does he mean by that? What happened?"

"It's… none of your concern at the moment…" Zelgadis murmured.

Xellos landed on the ground, approaching Lina and Gourry this time. "Ah, and I almost forgot. Before I go, I have something for you." The Mazoku dug into the bag that he carried over his shoulder and produced four envelopes. "These are for the four of you. And, just in case you're wondering, it's not a trick. Do try to be punctual, alright?"

Lina blinked for a moment at the envelopes. "What do you mean, punctual? Are they some sort of invitation?"

"Precisely." Xellos nodded. "I believe you all know the whereabouts of the locale. No RSVP is necessary, and the attire is formal. There'll be music, food, drinks, and a lot of honoured guests. I suggest you attend…" pausing, he continued. "Erm, none of you are allergic to dust, are you?"

"No." Lina shook her head.

"Ah, good!" Xellos smiled. He suddenly disappeared, and reappeared beside Zelgadis, grabbing Amelia by the arm. "Miss Amelia and I hope to see you there, then. Farewell for now!"

Before Amelia or Zelgadis had time to protest, Xellos had disappeared, taking the princess with him.

Zelgadis stared for a moment, realising what had happened. "Dammit, Xellos!" he cursed. "I don't care whose side you're on, you can't just _take _people whenever you feel like it-"

"That's what _I _tried to tell him." Gourry agreed.

"Forget it, you two. There's nothing we can do about him." Lina sighed. "No matter what kind of a fight we put up, Xellos always manages to find some way around it… He said that he and Amelia would be at this party, right? So maybe we ought to go, in order to figure out what's going on. Here's your invitation." She shoved the chimera an envelope. On the front, in elaborate calligraphy, was the name 'Mister Zelgadis Greywords.'

The sorceress kept the envelope addressed to 'Miss Lina Inverse', and handed her fiancé the one that read 'Mister Gourry Gabriev.' Of the four, only one had yet to be given out, so it wasn't hard to figure out who it belonged to. However, when Naga reached for the envelope, Lina withheld it.

"H-hey! What gives?" Naga whined. "Isn't that one addressed to me?"

Lina gave her rival an accusing look. "I don't know. You tell me. Are you, by any chance, _Princess Gracia Ul Naga Seyruun_?"

Naga's face blanched, her expression positively mortified. "H-how did Marielle…? Oh, Amelia must have… I… um…"

Lina raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I'll take that as a 'yes.' So here's your invitation, _your highness_." She held out the envelope angrily.

"L-Lina… look… I…" Naga stammered, reaching for the letter in trepidation.

"Why didn't you tell us? We knew that you were friends with Amelia, but you never mentioned that you were her _sister._ Or that you were a _princess _on top of it- even when we were in Seyruun."

"I… I was going to… it just… it never… I didn't…" Naga stammered.

Lina turned around, focusing her attention on her chimera friend, her arms crossed in irritation. "And what of you, Zel? What was that little comment from Xellos about? What exactly when down between you two, that you would owe him your life?"

"W-well… that's…" Zelgadis stammered. He shot a helpless look at Naga, who shrugged in response.

"Well, freak, they know my secret. I guess it's only fair that you tell them yours as well."

"W-wait, Naga? You were in on this too? And you kept it from me?" Lina demanded. "Gourry! Don't tell me _you _know about this too!"

"Know about what?" Gourry questioned.

"Gourry doesn't know." Naga shook her head. "Only Zelgadis and I have discussed this."

"And you thought that it was a good idea not to involve Gourry and me in this conversation as well?" Lina demanded.

"Well, you two were busy with… _other things_. We didn't want to interrupt you." Naga replied indignantly.

"Wh-what other things?" Lina asked, blushing at the way Naga had said it. "When was this?"

"At that healer's house. You and Gourry had made yourselves pretty comfortable on the couch, and were already asleep. We just thought it would be rude to wake you up. That's all." Zelgadis defended.

Lina blushed harder, obviously not having known that they'd been seen. But she supposed that finding that out two weeks later was less embarrassing than being caught in the act. She was still angry that they'd kept secrets, but her pride thanked them for not waking the two of them up.

"Well, in any case, we want to know what's going on now. So spill the details. Okay?"

Zelgadis looked around anxiously, and sighed. "Aren't we near this house that Naga was talking about? That would be a much better place to discuss matters like this, rather than out here."

Lina sighed. "You've got a point. Plus it's nearly dinner time."

"There probably won't be anything in the way of food at the house," Naga began. "but it's a very short walk from a village that should have plenty of supplies. We can stop there for a little while to get supplies for the next few days, and then head to the house."

"That sounds fine by me." Lina nodded.

"Let's go!" Gourry agreed.

"Lead the way." Zelgadis motioned.

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><p>(AN: There are a few references to the song 'Marisa Stole the Precious Thing' in there… I couldn't resist. Haha…)


	18. Homecoming!

Hello! Welcome to chapter 18! Here goes the usual welcome stuff, thanks for reading, etc. As usual, I don't own anything pertaining to Slayers, I'm just a fan having some fun writing fiction! Do enjoy!

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><p><strong>18- Homecomeing! A house isn't a home without a little family bickering...<strong>

Lina felt her breath catch in her throat as she observed the view over the side of the cliff. The area that they had been walking on had been mostly flat, but it was now apparent that it was a plateau- one that they had now reached the edge of. Down below them, Lina could see a tiny village, nestled against an enormous lake, sporting several small islands in the middle, the largest one connected to the shore by a narrow strip of land. Directly in front of them, the edge of the plateau curved around so that, if they continued in a straight line, they'd descend into the valley, and then climb back up the slope once again. "Is this the place?" Lina asked, pointing to the view.

"Sure is." Naga nodded.

"It's absolutely gorgeous." Gourry breathed. "Is the house down there near the village?"

"No, actually the house is past the village, on the slope just to the south. So you get a similar view of the village from the house that you do from here." Naga explained.

"And what are we looking at exactly?" Zelgadis asked, comparing the view to the map he was carrying. "I'm going to venture a guess that the lake down there is Lake Tarbert?"

"You're right." Naga nodded. "The name 'Tarbert' refers to an isthmus or small strip of land- do you see the tiny patch of land that leads out to the largest island? That's how the lake got its name."

"And the village? Does it go by the same name?" Lina asked.

"The village is actually known as Craighouse." Naga explained.

"House?" Gourry questioned. "That's a strange name for a village."

"Jellyfish-brain! It's a common name for settlements in this area." Lina scolded. "Haven't you been paying attention? A lot of the villages around here end with the suffix –house."

"Very true." Naga nodded. "Though very few of them can lay claim to a lake the size of Tarbert. I suppose that's why the Seyruun family decided to build this house here. Though it hasn't been used in years. I doubt it's been kept up very well. The garden is probably very overgrown by now."

"Well, it's a place to stay, and that's all that matters." Zelgadis nodded. "Shall we head toward the village and get some food for dinner?"

"Yay~! Food~!" Lina and Gourry both exclaimed.

"How about we agree to meet up thirty minutes after we get there? That'll be enough time to get supplies, right?" the chimera suggested.

"Sounds good! Thirty minutes it is!" Lina nodded.

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><p>"It's been <em>two whole hours<em>…" Naga groaned. "Where are Lina and Gourry?"

"Beats me. This village isn't too big, but there's plenty of things that could have kept them busy." Zelgadis murmured, leaning against the wall of a building, staring warily at the ominously dark clouds gathering in the sky.

"But they had definite instructions! Lina was supposed to go get bread from the bakery, while Gourry was supposed to visit the market and get some fresh fish for dinner! What about that could take so long?"

"Who knows what those two are up to?" Zelgadis shrugged.

Naga frowned. "I swear, if those two are together, goofing off somewhere or doing something _else_-"

"Hey~! Naga! Zel!" a familiar voice called. The two turned around quickly to see Lina running toward them, waving happily. "Hey! Sorry I'm a little late!"

"A _little _late? Try an hour and a half late! Where the heck were you?" Naga demanded.

"At the bakery." Lina defended, holding up several large bags with bread and a few assorted pastries. "Where did you think?"

"How can someone possibly spend _two hours _at a bakery? It's not even a big bakery either! In fact, I heard it was new- it hasn't even been open for very long. What's the story?" Naga asked.

"Well, you see… I started talking to the lady who works there… and we really hit it off!" Lina explained. "We apparently have a whole bunch of things in common- and so we got to talking, and talking, and talking… and then she invited me in for tea… and I couldn't say no! After all, we were already deep in conversation, and I didn't want to be rude. We had the best time… and before I knew it, two hours had passed. So sorry about that!" She laughed apologetically.

"Hmph. Well you made us wait. That's not appreciated. I never asked you to make friends with the baker."

"Yeah, well I can do things without asking you! I don't need your permission for everything!" Lina growled.

"Heeey~! You guys~! I'm… not… late!" a loud voice called, though telling a blatant lie. Gourry ran up to the group, panting as though he'd just run a marathon. "I… am not late… I promise…"

"Yes, actually you are late." Naga murmured accusingly. "Even later than Lina, which was pretty late."

"I-I didn't mean to! I swear! I'm so sorry! I just got sidetracked, and, and, and…" Gourry attempted to make some sort of hand gesture to emphasize his point, but he was too worked up and exhausted from running to make them coherent, so it only ended up making him look like an idiot.

"Hey, don't sweat it, Gourry. It's no big deal." Lina assured him comfortingly.

"That's not for you to say! It's Zelgadis and I who were waiting for an hour and a half for the two of you! I think it's a big deal!" Naga growled.

"Sorry, Naga, but no one asked you." Lina spat. "Really, Gourry, it's okay. Don't worry about it. What did you find that was so interesting?"

"Well…" he began. "near the market where I got the fish, there were also some people who harvest freshwater mussels- you know, from the lake?"

Lina's eyes widened. "Whoa! Freshwater mussels? I've heard that they're really good! You got to try some? No fair! I want some too!" she pouted angrily.

"W-well… that's not exactly… they actually… uh…" Gourry stammered. "Oh! Look! They have a candy store! Hey Lina, I'll race you! On-your-mark-get-set-go!" He took off running down the street, leaving Naga and Zelgadis behind. Lina was also left behind, but only for a second as she took off after him.

"You idiot! Get back here! Instant topic changes count as cheating~!"

Naga groaned. "Zelgadis, how do you _live _with these people?"

Zelgadis thought it over for a moment. "Tea and coffee." he replied. "And lots of it."

* * *

><p>The slope south of the village was initially steep, but levelled off after a few hundred feet, making it easier to imagine a house being located there. Still, the forest was thick with spreading deciduous trees, their branches blocking out most of a person's view. The travellers were grateful for the shade, however, as the climate was hot and muggy, with an impending rainstorm feeling as though it might begin any moment. Lina batted swarms of insects away from her face- biting midges, mosquitoes, gnats, and other small pests that she'd never even encountered.<p>

"Agh, isn't there an insect-repelling spell or something?" Lina groaned. "Honestly!"

"Well, it's one price to pay for the warm climate. You don't like cold weather, right? So choose- cold weather, or insects." Zelgadis explained.

"I'd take the insects any day." Lina decided out loud. "But hey, you have no room to talk. They can't even bite you!"

"That is true…" Zelgadis murmured, thinking of the poor insects that might ever try to bite him through his rock-solid skin.

"You guys, you guys~! Here it is! Right through here!" Naga exclaimed, waving excitedly.

"The house? Finally! I'm glad we got here before it started raining! Hopefully it'll be some relief from the heat and the bugs too." Lina sighed.

"And dinner!" Gourry agreed with a smile.

"DINNER~!" Lina exclaimed happily, running far ahead of the group. "I can't wait! Food, food, food, fo-" Her voice cut off abruptly.

"Huh? Lina?" Gourry questioned. "Why'd you suddenly sto-" He caught up to her and gasped in astonishment. "…oh…"

"_Oh_' is right…" Lina agreed. "This can't possibly be the place…"

Naga ran up behind them. "Hey! Finally! We're here! Isn't it great?"

"N-Naga, are you serious? Is this really…?" Lina stammered.

"This is the place." Naga nodded. "A little overgrown, but the place nonetheless."

"Th-this… this… is… _gorgeous_…" Lina gasped, having trouble finding the word. "Oh, Gourry, have you ever seen such a beautiful house?"

Gourry shook his head slowly. "No, never… It's amazing…"

They stood staring at the intricate architecture. The house was an off-white colour, though the paint seemed to be peeling in some places. The front porch wrapped around the house, with four large columns in the front. The house was two-stories tall, and there was a door on the second floor that opened out to a small balcony. Lina took a step back, getting a glimpse of a small dragon-shaped statuette on the peak of the roof.

"Is that Cepheid?" she asked.

"Yes." Naga nodded. "To watch over the house and protect it."

"It's lovely. Very fitting for the Seyruun family." Lina murmured.

"I loved coming here as a young child." Naga closed her eyes nostalgically. "I still remember… very vaguely… bringing Amelia here for the first time when I was five years old… and every time after that… it was so wonderful…" Her expression saddened. "But… we stopped coming after mother died. I've never been to this house without mother. Without Amelia… or Philionel… Grandfather, and Uncle Christopher, and cousin Alfred… Now Mother's dead, Alfred's dead, Grandfather's close to it, Amelia's kidnapped, and Philionel and Christopher are back in Seyruun…"

Lina reached out to grab Naga's arm comfortingly. "But you've got Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis. Your 'greatest rival,' her fiancé, and your future brother-in-law. We're sort of like a family, in a weird sort of way… right?"

Naga sighed deeply, a smile passing over her face. "You know… you're right. I suppose we are like a family. A strange family, but a family nonetheless."

"A family?" Gourry asked. "Oooh! Oooh! Can I be the dad? Pretty please?"

"Uh… sure, Gourry…" Lina murmured, slightly confused. "Of course you can."

"Oh! And I get to be the mom!" Naga volunteered.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Lina exclaimed, grabbing Naga's cape and pulling violently on it. "If Gourry's the dad, then _I_ get to be the mom. That's common sense."

"Oh really?" Naga grinned. "OHOHOHOHOHO~! I suppose it's only fair of me! But, of course, where does that leave me?"

"You could be the crazy aunt." Gourry suggested. "I had a crazy aunt one time, though you could certainly beat her in that regard!"

Naga stared for a moment. "I… I think I'll ignore that and take it as a compliment…" she murmured. "Uh, but that sounds fine. Am I a sibling of Lina or Gourry?"

"Gourry." Lina quickly stated.

"Why me?" Gourry whined.

"Because I've already got one terrifying sister- I don't need another!"

"I had _four _sisters!"

"Now you've got five." Lina smiled, shoving Naga in Gourry's direction. "Come, my imaginary-family! Let's go get some food!"

"Wait! Who's the kid! You can't have a mom and a dad without a kid!" Naga exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, that's right…" Lina murmured. "Darn. I wish my apprentice were here- he'd be good at that. Oh well, I guess we've got to make what we have work. Where'd Zel run off to…? Hey, Zelgadis!"

The chimera was several feet away, admiring the architecture. "The house is very well-built. It's reminiscent of the manors found on the plantations in southern Seyruun- the ones owned by wealthy landowners. I wouldn't be surprised if this housed used to be part of a large estate before the Seyruun royal family acquired it."

"Zel~!" Lina groaned. "You can't be so overly-intellectual! You're the kid!"

"I'm the _what_?" he asked.

"The kid!" Naga exclaimed excitedly. "We're a pretend-family! Lina's the mom, Gourry's the dad, and I'm the aunt! So that leaves the part of the kid up to you!"

"What kind of nonsense are you pretending?" Zelgadis sighed. "Don't include me in this."

"Aww, don't be such a spoilsport, Zel! It's fun!" Lina whined.

"Count me out. If you want to play house, go get your apprentice from Seyruun City." Zelgadis replied. "Naga, can we go ahead inside?"

"Sure. You can go ahead and claim a bedroom for yourself if you want." Naga nodded.

"How many bedrooms did you say there were again?" Lina questioned. "Five?"

"Yep. One for each of us, plus one left over for good measure." Naga replied. "Or... any other configuration you might want." She smiled mischievously at Lina and Gourry.

Lina completely ignored Naga. "Come on, Gourry! Zelgadis has already beaten us inside! You're supposed to be responsible parents and look after him, right?"

He laughed. "Oh, I'm sure that Zel needs _lots _of looking-after! C'mon, Lina! It's time to get dinner!"

"Yay! Dinner!" Lina clapped excitedly, following her two companions into the large house.

* * *

><p>"Wow, check out the size of this kitchen! It's enormous!" Gourry exclaimed. "You could feed a small army using this place!"<p>

"Or Lina and Gourry." Zelgadis joked. "So who's doing the cooking?"

"That would be the mother's job, wouldn't it?" Naga asked. "Where's Lina?"

"I'm not sure." Gourry replied. "She was looking around one of the other rooms…"

"Are you still playing that stupid game?" Zelgadis groaned. "Quit it already!"

"But it's fun!" Naga whined. "And anyway, I don't see what's so-"

"Gourry~! Zel~! Come look at this!" Lina's voice echoed through the house.

"…I think she's found the library…" Naga murmured.

"Library?" Zelgadis perked up at the word. "Where is that?"

"It's around the corner from the living room- behind the staircase." Naga replied. "I'll show you."

She led the group into the next room and around the large wooden staircase. There was a door to another room that had been left slightly ajar, and Naga pushed it open, motioning her friends inside. Zelgadis cringed at the sound of the rusty hinges screeching in protest to being moved, but once he caught sight of the room beyond the door, he forgot the noise in his fascination.

The ceiling was not the same height as the other rooms on the first floor- instead, the room extended into the second floor. A spiral staircase in one corner led to a balcony that encircled the perimeter of the room, making it accessible from the second floor as well. The things that stood out most about the room, however, were the books.

Lots and lots of books.

"S-so many books…" Gourry murmured in awe. "When you said 'library,' you weren't kidding!"  
>Lina was standing across the room, next to the fireplaces, examining a large set of encyclopaedias. "Isn't this amazing?" she asked.<p>

"It's certainly impressive…" Zelgadis agreed. "Naga, where did all these books come from?"

"They're mostly magical texts and references, and are almost all books from the Seyruun library that we had duplicates of."

This seemed to disappoint the chimera slightly. "Oh. Duplicates, huh?"

"Well, for the most part. Though if you're looking for something in particular, you might get lucky. I haven't ever gone through all of them- I never had the desire to as a child- but I'm certain that there's plenty of information in here. Is there something you wanted to find?"

"I thought that you'd left behind your days of raiding libraries in search of your cure." Lina said pointedly. "After what happened with Amelia, of course."

"You're right. I have." Zelgadis nodded. "However… I don't know if it even exists, much less if I'd find it here… but if I can, I want to find some sort of spell that can _keep _me a chimera."

Lina stared, her mouth agape. "Wh…wha…?"

Zelgadis sighed. "Look… I'll explain it over dinner, okay? It's a long story."

* * *

><p>"Um… I'm getting lost. What's exactly is 'in trophy' again?" Gourry asked, pushing his fifth empty plate toward the middle of the table.<p>

"_Entropy, _Gourry. Pay attention." Lina scolded. "We already explained that it's a well-known magical property, stating that chaos is always favoured over order."

"And that means…" Gourry murmured.

"Basically that all things come from chaos, so all things move toward chaos. Does that make any sense?" Zelgadis asked. "It's a very basic property of magic- not to mention physics itself."

"Kind of." Gourry closed his eyes. "Is it like how you clean a room and then suddenly it's messy again?"

"Precisely." Lina nodded. "Which is why I don't see the purpose of cleaning at all…"

"…lazy…" Naga murmured.

"_Anyway, _what exactly does this have to do with you, Zel?" Lina continued.

"I was going to ask the same thing." Gourry agreed.

"I'm leading up to that." Zelgadis replied. "Okay? Basically creating a chimera requires a great deal of magic in order to overcome the entropic forces that want to separate the beings that were fused. When you create a creature from more than one living being, entropy is constantly pulling them apart. Magic is therefore needed to 'hold them together,' so to speak. Without it, the creatures would simply separate into their respective parts again."

"Oh, I get it." Gourry nodded. "So the magic is like glue?"

"Uh, strange analogy, but I guess it could work." Zelgadis said. "Yes, the magic is like glue to hold the creature together."

"Yeah, yeah, but what about you? You're not falling apart!" Lina exclaimed.

"Am I?" Zelgadis questioned. "Do you remember the other day when I got that headache and you hurt your hand? The magic that hurt you was chaos magic. I thought you'd have noticed that."

"I did…" Lina murmured. "But I didn't think…"

"It's entropy at work." Zelgadis continued. "If it keeps up, then the three portions that make up my chimera body will separate…"

"But isn't that good?" Lina demanded. "I mean, you've been trying to find a cure for your body for almost a decade now- don't you _want _to be human again?"

"That's the thing. It would be good… but…" Zelgadis murmured. "…when a chimera is created, the different creatures are combined in such a way that they can depend on each other for survival. If you try to combine one creature with another, and that creature rejects the foreign body that you're attempting to fuse with it, then both of the creatures could very well die. That's the main problem with creating chimeras. Therefore, the pieces have to be able to depend on one another for survival. If you separate all of them in a creature that has been stable for a long period of time, then each of the pieces will very quickly die."

"D-die?" Lina choked, her face suddenly becoming pale. "S-so… y-you mean… that y-you're…" She cut off her sentence and shook her head quickly. "B-but this doesn't apply to _you_, right?"

"Unfortunately, it does." Zelgadis nodded gravely. "I'm sorry Lina, but I don't have much of a choice."

"Isn't there something you can do about it?" Lina demanded.

"If I could… I certainly would…" Zelgadis sighed. "But do you really think there's time for that? The spell Xellos' taught me will only stave off the entropic forces for another two weeks at the most, and it could take another 10 years to find this spell. It's just not practical going out and searching for it, instead of rescuing Amelia. Okay?"

"How come you never told us this earlier?" Lina asked.

"I didn't think it was necessary to make you worry more than you needed to. And still, don't worry about me. Alright?" Zelgadis answered.

Lina trembled as she spoke. "But… you can't just give up… it's not like you, Zel. You don't give up as a rule. Why would you just… allow this to happen to you?"

"And give up on Amelia?"

"He's got a good point, Lina." Naga agreed. "Don't bother him any more about it. You know it's hard enough for him as it is."

"HARD FOR HIM? WHAT ABOUT _US_?" Lina demanded, jumping up. "Y-you thought it was okay to just keep something like this a secret from us? How could you? We're your friends!"

"Lina…" Zelgadis murmured.

"Does Amelia know about this? Obviously she doesn't! What about her?"

"Lina, I don't want her worrying over me. You know how she'd react If she found out-"

"Will her reaction to finding it out _too late_ be any better? If this is the way _I _feel about this now, I can't imagine how _she'll _react! This is just… just… so selfish!" Lina pushed her chair back noisily, rushing out to the room. Gourry jumped up, rushing after her, being able to hear muffled sobs from behind the door as Lina rushed up the staircase.

"Lina~!" he called.

Zelgadis and Naga were quiet for a moment, before the chimera spoke up again. "That went well." he sighed sarcastically.

"You should have just told them." Naga chided. "Now they feel betrayed. I know you don't want Amelia to be sad or worry over you, but you know she's going to feel the same way. And that'll just make it harder on her."

Zelgadis frowned. "Well, what am I supposed to do, then?"

"The fact that you've been away from her for so long gives you an excuse to have not told her yet- but it means that you're going to have to say something the next time you see her- for the sake of keeping your trustworthiness."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Zelgadis demanded. "Let her know how much I love her and then say 'oh, by the way, I'm kind of dying'? How is she going to react to _that_?"

"Just tell her the truth." Naga said. "Like you told Lina and Gourry."

"Oh yeah." Zelgadis sighed. "Because Lina took it _so well_…"

"Amelia will understand." Naga murmured. "She's no stranger to death, after all…"

"And that's why she shouldn't have to lose someone she loves _again_." Zelgadis sighed.

For a long moment, Naga didn't speak.

"… you're right. She shouldn't."

The sorceress stood up, pushing her chair back under the table along with Lina and Gourry's, and collecting all the empty dishes to take back into the kitchen. "By the way, whenever you're ready for bed, you can take either the first or last rooms on the left. The first one on the right with two beds is mine… it's where Amelia and I used to sleep whenever we visited."

"Thanks…" Zelgadis murmured. "I'll probably be awake for a while in the library… when is Marielle's party again?"

"Saturday."

"And today is…"

"Thursday."

Zelgadis sighed. "Xellos said that this party wasn't a trick, but I'm not so sure. I'm going to be pretty wary about going… but I definitely want to find Amelia."

"I understand. I'm not so sure about this party either… but what can we do? It might be our best shot to get into this mansion and find out what's going on…" she paused for a moment. "Do you think Pokota will be there?"

"He should." Zelgadis said. "At least, I think so."

"What does he look like?" Naga continued.

"Well, he… uh… it's kind of… he looks kind of like a… heck, what _does _he look like?" Seeing Naga's puzzled expression, Zelgadis simply assured her "Trust me, you'll know him when you see him."

"I hope so." Naga replied. She grinned slightly. "If he really isn't a little kid after all, perhaps I could ask him to dance."

"Oh, that'd be interesting, that's for sure…" Zelgadis replied, not being able to help cracking a smile at the thought. "_Very_ interesting…"

* * *

><p>(AN: For those who have read my other stories you might recognise the baker mentioned in the story as Lina's friend Imia, who appeared twice in '_Pathos_.' So this is where they first met! Haha...)


	19. Getting it together

Chapter 19! We're getting close- and I'm excited! Thanks for reading! As usual, I don't own anything related to Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction! Do enjoy~!

* * *

><p><strong>19- Getting it together- figuring out what comes next!<strong>

The deafening patter of rain on the roof was no distraction as Zelgadis scanned the chapter titles in the book, searching for any type of information that might be related to entropy, or chimeras. Finding nothing, he began flipping through the pages, just to make sure. Sometimes chapters could get off subject, or were not always limited to what their titles said. His strong hearing picked up the muffled sound of the door to the second level of the library opening and closing. The chimera didn't even look up from his book. He figured that, since it was late, it was probably Gourry, trying to get downstairs to the kitchen for a snack- though why he didn't just use the main staircase was beyond Zelgadis. He was content to completely ignore the swordsman for the moment, and focus on his book. He paid no mind to the sound of footsteps coming down the creaky wooden staircase, however, when he realised that the person wasn't leaving the room, he became slightly curious. He was about to look up anyway, but he heard a small voice murmur his name.

"…Zel…?"

He turned his head quickly. "Lina?" They stared at each other for a moment, a clap of thunder rumbling in the background. "…what is it?" Zelgadis finally asked.

Lina pointed to one of the chairs beside the desk that Zel was sitting at. "Could I sit down…?"

"Of course. I'm not stopping you." Zelgadis answered.

Lina moved over to one of the chairs that were centred around the fireplace, sitting down slowly. She waited for a moment, letting a loud clap of thunder pass, and then cleared her throat. "Um… look… about earlier…"

"You don't have to worry about it." Zelgadis interrupted. "I don't mind. You had a good reason to be mad at me. You still do."

"…" Lina still didn't say anything.

"I kept secrets from you guys, which makes me just as bad as Xellos. I honestly thought it'd be the best thing, and it might have been, considering your reaction. I knew that you'd be mad… but I just…"

"…I'm not mad. I _wasn't _mad."

That wasn't what Zelgadis had been expecting. "You're not? You sounded pretty mad to me."

"Was everything you said at dinner true? About entropy and chimeras?"

"Yes, it was." Zelgadis nodded.

"And about _you_?"

"…yes."

Lina sighed. "Look, Zel… you can't possibly think that Amelia's the only person who cares about you. Gourry, Naga, and I… we all care about you, Zel. We're all your friends. I'm not mad at you for keeping this a secret from us. I'm just upset because… because…" Lina clenched her fists angrily. "MY FRIENDS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO DIE, DARN IT!"

"Death is part of life, Lina." Zelgadis replied calmly.

"I hate it when people say that! It's not a _part _of life! It's the _end _of life! That's what 'death' means! And… and… and… it's not supposed to happen to my friends! Not_ now_, anyway! You're way too young!"

"Perhaps I am, but there's no worrying about it now." Zelgadis replied. "Face it, Lina- getting upset like you are isn't going to help me any. There's no sense in worrying about it, so I don't."

"But… don't you… don't you get sad when you think about it?" Lina asked.

"If I do, that's none of your business."

Lina frowned. "Fine. But you've got to humour us if we feel differently."

"Gourry and Naga seem to be taking it just fine." Zelgadis said.

"Gourry has to put on a brave face to help me. That's what he does. And Naga's known for a while, so it's not as bad. And I guess I'm more affected by this than anyone else because…" Lina voice trailed off. She took another deep breath while waiting for a clap of thunder to pass, and continued. "...I'm the only one…"

"The only what?" Zelgadis asked.

"Well… Naga and Amelia's mother died, along with their cousin Alfred… according to Gourry, he's lost several brothers, I don't know how many sisters, and possibly his parents… Pokota lost a whole bunch of people during the Durum Plague… my apprentice watched _both _of his parents die, on separate occasions, no less… and _you_- you lost Zolf and Rodimus, and, uh, Rezo…"

"And a _lot _of other people." Zelgadis added.

"Right." Lina nodded. "So don't you see? I'm the only one… who hasn't lost something close to me…"

"Poor you." Zelgadis said with a distinct edge of sarcasm.

"No! _Lucky _me!" Lina exclaimed. "I mean… Gourry's almost been killed a couple of times, but he's alive now, so that's irrelevant! I… don't _want _to lose anyone- most certainly not one of my closest friends! Zel… I… I just…"

"I get it, Lina." Zelgadis nodded. "It's not like I wished that on you or anything…"

"Oh, no! Of course not! I never said that you did!" Lina defended. "I… uh… I get it… and…" She turned around, shoulders trembling. "G'night, then… you _will _be okay tomorrow, won't you?"

"Of course. I'll be fine. We've got to get ready for that party Marielle's throwing on Saturday, so we'll need to do some planning. We can't just show up without any idea of what we're going to do or how to do it- we need to get Amelia and Pokota out of that house as soon as possible, and in the safest manner possible. But we can't worry over that right now..."

* * *

><p>Lina closed the door of the library behind her, feeling upset, hurt , scared, lonely…. and pretty stupid on top of it.<p>

'_Gourry and Naga seem to be taking it just fine.' Who does Zel think I am? He doesn't have the right to criticise how I act! And I think I'm taking it just fine as well! It's just… _The door to her room was reached quickly, as it was directly adjacent to the library door. She crawled back into bed and fell into a fitful sleep…

When Lina woke up, rain was still pouring onto the roof, and the window showed that it was still dark out. Looking around , she sighed sadly. "I wonder if anyone's awake besides me…"

She crept downstairs, looking around for anyone. Hearing movement in the kitchen, she turned the corner from the end of the staircase and nearly ran directly into Gourry.

"Ah, Lina! What are you doing awake?" he exclaimed, but it sounded much more muffled as he had a piece of toast in his mouth. Biting off the edge and swallowing the mouthful, he repeated the question.

"Uh, I woke up? What about you? You're eating breakfast already?" she replied.

"Yep! You want some?"

Lina frowned, and backed away slightly. "Uh… no thanks. Not right now, anyway."

Gourry took another bite of toast and stared in surprise. "What? Really? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing's wrong." Lina lied, turning away.

"_Something's _got to be wrong for you to refuse food." Gourry replied, shoving the half-eaten piece of toast in Lina's face. She gave him a disgusted look and pushed it away, so he went ahead and ate the rest. "Is it about what Zel told us last night?" he continued.

"What if it is?" Lina sulked.

Gourry's expression softened. "Does someone need a hug?" he offered.

"No! I don't need a hug!" Lina replied indignantly. "I'm Lina Inverse! I don't ne-"

Despite her protests, she found herself caught up in a tight hug anyway. Gourry hugged the small girl, rocking her back and forth gently, as though she were a child. It melted away Lina's tough exterior, and she clung to her protector in return.

"Gourry, I don't know what I'm supposed to do! Is it _normal _to be this upset?"

"Yes." Gourry murmured. "Considering what we learned yesterday, I'd say that this is very normal."

"But…" Lina pulled herself out of Gourry's grip, wiping away tears that were beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. "…I can't get so upset. It's stupid, and anyway… we've got things to do…"

"True," Gourry nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "it is an inopportune time, but if you try to bury it, it'll only make things worse on you. One of my brothers died when I was only four years old- I cried for days on end… He'd never been nice to me, and I didn't even likehim all that much, but when someone you've been around for such a long time is gone, then…"

"But he's not gone!" Lina defended. "He's upstairs! I can go wake him up and talk to him, and he'll respond! He's not dead, Gourry!"

"That's true also. And perhaps there's a chance that he'll find some sort of spell that can help him- and then he _won't _die. That's good, right?"

"Zel's not as much of an optimist as you are." Lina replied.

"That's true also. He always was a 'glass-half-empty' kind of guy." Gourry nodded. "But we've got to keep our hopes up somehow, right?"

Lina nodded in reply. "I suppose…"

"Good. Just keep thinking positive, or else you'll always be upset." the swordsman smiled down at his companion.

"That's true! And I can't be upset-like I said, I'm Lina Inverse, after all! I can't let something like this get me down! We're going to rescue Amelia and Pokota, and find some way to make sure Zel doesn't get killed! I know we can do it!"

"That's the spirit, Lina!" Gourry exclaimed happily. He hugged her again, this time whispering in her ear "Though… you won't exactly be Lina _Inverse _for much longer, now will you?"

"And what if I decide to keep my name?" Lina teased.

She'd said it with a smile, but Gourry looked stricken at the thought of it. "Wh-why? What's wrong with my name?"

"Nothing, Gourry. You have a lovely name." Lina said. "I just… I've built a reputation as 'Lina Inverse,' and to suddenly change my name would confuse a whole lot of people…"

"But…" Gourry sighed. "I was really hoping… that you would…"

"I'll take your name, Gourry. I was just teasing you." Lina assured him. "Lina Gabriev' does have a nice ring to it, after all…"

"Don't joke about stuff like that, Lina!" he whined. "That's mean!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't realise you'd get so hung up about names! Remember, I can take any real name you want, just no pet names, got it?" Lina apologised.

"Pet names? What do you mean?" Gourry asked in confusion.

"I mean, no calling me by cutesy nicknames. Like 'sweetheart' or 'darling' or anything like that."

"Oh, I get it. I won't, I promise. You're not the sort of person for those names anyway." Gourry nodded. "But hey- what about 'jellyfish?' You call me that all the time! Isn't that a pet name?"

"That doesn't count. It started as an insult, and only later did I start saying it with love." Lina replied with a smile, winking playfully.

"Well, if you say so!" Gourry laughed, and Lina laughed with him. A rumble of thunder in the distance cut them off however, and Lina looked around.

"Geez, I knew it was raining, but is it still storming as well? I guess that would explain why it's still _so _dark outside, even if it is almost 6 A.M."

"Oh well, that still means there's time for more breakfast. Are you _sure _you don't want any toast?"

Lina grinned. "I've changed my mind. I want some toast, now!"

"Okay, okay!" Gourry agreed. "There's plenty more where that came from! Don't worry!"

* * *

><p>"Oh Lina! You look just like a princess!"<p>

Lina examined her reflection in the mirror that hung in Naga's room. The princess had found her companion some of the dresses she had worn when she was younger, and they fit the tiny sorceress perfectly, much to Lina's chagrin.

"And how old were you when you wore this dress?" Lina asked.

"This one? I got it when I was ten, though it was a little big for me at the time. Why?"

"Just… asking…" Lina replied through clenched teeth. So, at age twenty-one, she could wear something Naga had worn at age ten? The thought alone made her blood boil.

Still, she had to admit that the dress looked nice on her. Plus the shoes were comfortable- something she could easily walk in. That was good, since they'd have to walk half an hour at least to get to the mansion, and they didn't want to Ray Wing there in formal attire. (Gourry, of course, didn't want them to Ray Wing there at all.)

"Your hair really is the finishing touch to this, I must say! You've got very lovely hair, Lina. It's such a pretty colour, I'm almost jealous." Naga commented.

_Wow, _Lina thought. _Naga jealous of my appearance in some way? It's unthinkable!_

"Th-thank you, Naga." Lina stammered. "That's nice of you to think that, considering you beat me in pretty much any other way possible."

Naga smiled to herself. "When it comes to physical appearances, I do beat you, don't I? OHOHOHOHOHOHO~!"

"Yeah, well, could you quit bragging about it?"

Naga grinned. "Why would I? If you have something to brag about, why not do it? It makes no sense! OHOHOHOHO~!"

Lina clenched her teeth, materialising a Fireball in one hand. "I've got things to brag about too, you know…"

Gourry and Zelgadis watched the ensuing explosion from outside the door. "Wow, I knew Lina was opposed to getting dressed up for this, but don't you think that's going a bit far?" Gourry commented.

"I wish she'd quit it and get going. We're going to be late as it is- why do girls take so long to get ready?" Zelgadis growled.

"I don't know. That has baffled me for a long time now…" Gourry agreed. "…do you think I should ask Lina?"

"She probably won't give you an honest answer." Zelgadis replied. "Or one that you could understand, in any case. It's probably better that we don't know."

"Yeah, you're probably right…" Gourry nodded. He knocked on the door several times, trying to get the girls' attention. "Hey! Lina! Naga! Are you ready yet? We're going to be late if you don't come on!"

"And might I add that arriving fashionably late will not improve our standing with those people who previously wished to have us killed?" Zelgadis agreed.

Naga's voice called back from the other side of the door. "We're coming, we're coming!"

The princess shoved the door open loudly, and stepped out. She had swapped her usual outfit for an elaborate, dark-blue ballroom gown that was slightly more conservative. It had apparently belonged to her mother, though she wore it as thought it had been tailored specifically for her. Lina's dress was off-white with red flower patterns on the side, and it fit her fairly well, if a bit on the small side.

"I worked so hard on the outfits- doesn't Lina just look absolutely gorgeous~?" Naga asked proudly.

"I've always said that Lina cleaned up nicely." Zelgadis nodded. "She can be pretty good-looking when she's not trying to kill you."

"I certainly hope you meant that as a compliment, Zel." Lina growled threateningly.

"What do you think, Gourry? You're the one I really wanted to impress!" Naga continued.

"Huh? What do you mean, I'm the one you really wanted to impress?" Gourry questioned.

"Come on! You know what I mean, silly!" Naga giggled, shoving Lina in Gourry's direction.

"H-hey, now!" Lina exclaimed, blushing. "Let's get going to this party, okay? Like Gourry said, we're going to be late!"

"Fine by me." Zelgadis nodded.

Naga was the first to rush toward the door excitedly. Zelgadis followed, somewhat uneasily as he wasn't used to being in such formal attire. He didn't really want to walk all the way to Marielle's place in what he was wearing, but if the alternative was having to Ray Wing the whole way there, it was probably best that they walk. He motioned for Lina and Gourry to follow as he made his way down the steps and to the front door.

Lina followed obediently, but stopped at the door, as she realised that Gourry was being slower than usual. "Hey, Gourry? Something wrong? C'mon! Let's hurry! If we're late, then the other guests might have eaten all the good food by the time we get there!"

"Uh… Lina…?" Gourry began hesitantly. "I… um…"

"What?" Lina shot her companion a puzzled look.

Gourry followed Lina to the door, and stopped, beginning to dig through his pockets. "…I was… going to give this to you later, but I figure that… since you're all dressed up and everything… you'd want to wear it…"

Lina blinked in confusion, but reached out her hand curiously as Gourry finally located the small object he'd been searching for. He placed it gently into her hand, backing up slightly as he waited for her to examine it.

"Gourry! Wh-where in the world did you get this?" Lina gasped in astonishment.

"Uh… do you remember when we were in the village on Thursday, and I was so late? Well… that's because…" Gourry stammered.

"Oh! So that's why you were talking about the freshwater mussels- they harvest _pearls_ from them! Why didn't you tell me, idiot?"

"I wanted to surprise you… d-do you like it?"

"_Like it_?" Lina demanded. "Are you kidding? This is the most gorgeous ring I've ever seen! I love it!"

Gourry's expression brightened, seeing Lina so taken with his gift. "They said that the different colours of the pearls are caused by some sort of chemicals or something in the water… or the mussel… I kind of forget… but I saw that one, and thought of you because it was such a bright red, and so I figured it would be perfect…"

"It _is _perfect! And the gold band fits it so nicely!" Lina nodded, examining the ring some more. "I don't know how much you paid for it, but I'm pretty sure it was worth it. This is a very skilfully made piece. You've got a good eye, Gourry."

The swordsman beamed proudly. "So you'll wear it from now on?"

Lina eyed the ring for a moment more, and handed it back to her companion, much to his dismay. "Sorry, but I can't wear it yet."

"Wh-what?" Gourry's expression looked stricken. "Why not?"

Lina's eyes glinted mischievously. "Because you haven't given it to me properly yet."

"Properly…?"

"Of course. Didn't you say you were going to get down on one knee, and-"

"I didn't know you meant that literally!"

"Oh, come on, Gourry." Lina teased. "Every girl dreams about being proposed to by the man she loves. Make it romantic, okay?"

"S-so you really want me to…"

"Yeah."

"Right now?"

"Only if you really want to."

"Here?"

"I don't care, jellyfish-brain! Just remember that we have a party to get to sometime tonight!"

Gourry sighed helplessly and knelt down, handing the ring back up to Lina. "Uh… Lina? W-will you marry me?"

Lina was unconvinced. "Say it like you mean it!"

"You can't _possibly_ be serious."

"Are you going to get this right sometime today?" the sorceress looked impatient.

Gourry took a deep breath, and started again, completely serious this time. "Lina… I love you more than anyone or anything I've ever cared about in my whole life, and I-"

"LINA! GOURRY! WHAT ARE YOU TWO _DOING_? WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE IF YOU DON'T HURRY UP!"

Lina groaned, turning back around to face the door. "GEEZ, WAY TO RUIN A MOMENT, NAGA! COULDN'T YOU TELL WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING?"

"Lina, what should I do?" Gourry whispered.

"Just keep the ring for now." Lina sighed, grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet. "Sometime at the party, you can catch me alone and ask me then. Surprise me. It'll be more romantic that way."

Looking slightly disappointed, but smiling anyway, Gourry nodded. "Sure, Lina. I can do that."

"Thanks." Lina smiled. "OKAY, NAGA! WE'RE COMING! DON'T LEAVE US BEHIND!"

And with that, the dysfunctional group made their way to Marielle's mansion, wary of whatever tricks that the mistress might have in store for them…

* * *

><p>(AN: So… Lina and Gourry… too sappy in this one? Because I kind of got that feeling… meh…)


	20. Collaborate

Hello! Ah, 20 chapters already! I'm so happy! Thanks for reading, all of you! I appreciate it! As usual, I'm just a simple fan, writing some fictional stories, and I don't own anything pertaining to Slayers! (Though, when proofreading this, I found that I did have two chapter 20's in my original document, but then it jumped straight from 23 to 25… this is what happens when I try to number my chapters while I'm sleep-deprived. O_O)

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><p><strong>20- Collaborate! A party full of surprises?<strong>

Pokota felt trapped.

Well, actually, he _was_, in fact, trapped. He'd been trapped for a long time now, but being locked in a room with Xellos watching over him like a hawk was the worst it had been. He knew that Marielle was having a party, but he'd expected to be invited- or perhaps not to be monitored, at the very least. Amelia, upon receiving the knowledge that Zelgadis, Naga, and the rest of her friends were to be present, was implacable.

"How dare you stand in the way of friendship and true love? Mister Xellos, even a heartless Mazoku such as you should know that this is wrong! Let us out at once!"

"Miss Amelia, you know that orders are orders." Xellos protested. "You're stuck here for the rest of the night, and I am to guard you." He paused for a moment and yawned. "Although... all this work that Lady Marielle has had me do is making me tired. I think I may take a nap a little while later... I certainly hope that neither of you are to... eh... _escape _while I'm asleep.

Amelia blinked. He had said it in such a way that it made her think he was actually encouraging an escape. "Uh... escape? You mean that... you would allow us to..."

Pokota jumped up and perched on Amelia's head. "Why are you doing this, Xellos?"

Xellos seemed to think it over for a moment. "Well..."

"And don't you dare say 'that's a secret'!"

"I suppose... I would say... it's because I can."

Pokota was sceptical. "Because you can? What kind of answer is that?"

"Well, it's better than 'that's a secret,' isn't it?" Xellos chuckled. "You two just need to lighten up! How about we play a nice game of cards, and then... well, I'll take a rest. Agreed?"

Amelia and Pokota exchanged a wary glance, but gave in anyway. What choice did they have? After all, it was futile to argue with Xellos, and if he was going to let them leave eventually, why argue anyway?

* * *

><p>"I knew his mansion was huge, but I didn't know <em>how <em>huge! Just look at this ballroom!" Lina exclaimed. "There's so many people!"

"And any place this big with this many people must have lots of great food as well!" Gourry chimed in.

"Oh yeah! Definitely! I can't wait!" Lina agreed.

The two grabbed each others' hands and rushed through the crowd toward the table that was piled high with food. Zelgadis sighed in exasperation. "I _thought _we had a plan! Do those two ever think of anything besides filling their bottomless stomachs?"

"Aw, give them a break, Zelgadis." Naga chided, her eyes sparkling wistfully. "They're young and in love-"

"Love has nothing to do with it." Zelgadis interrupted. "They're just _hungry_"

"True. But they do share a love of food and a love for one another that ultimately transcends-"

"I'm going to go find Amelia." Zelgadis interrupted Naga's emotional speech once again, walking toward the crowd himself."

"H-hey!~ Wait!" Naga called, running after him. "I want to find Amelia too!"

"Then come with me."

"But I wanted to dance some too! I love ballroom dancing!"

"Then go dance!" Zelgadis groaned. "Amelia and I will catch up to you later."

"Okay!" Naga exclaimed happily. "Oh, but wait! I don't have a dance partner!"

"That's not my problem. I'm not here to babysit you, Naga." Zelgadis replied. "If you want to dance, just go find someone who doesn't already have a dance partner either. I'm fairly certain that there's not a single guy in here who doesn't have a partner who wouldn't mind being pulled out onto the dance floor by you."

Naga blinked. "Why, Zelgadis… was that… a _compliment_?

"Maybe." Zelgadis shrugged. "I have to find Amelia." And with that, he took off into the crowd, leaving Naga behind him.

The princess sighed. "He really is a good man at heart… Amelia chose well."

She then ran off in the direction of the dance floor, looking for any young men without dance partners.

* * *

><p>Zelgadis couldn't find Amelia anywhere in the crowd. Taking one last long glance around the room, he snuck out into one of the adjacent hallways. It was dark and lonely, a welcome change from the overly festive atmosphere of the party. He preferred dark, quiet places anyway. The solitude was comforting, and he enjoyed reading and writing with such atmosphere. He took a few steps, enjoying the echoing sound of his footsteps on the tile floor, but the solitude didn't last long. The sound of a person behind him caught him by surprise, and he didn't have time to react before he was tackled and nearly pinned to the ground. His cry of surprise, however, was cut off by an excited squeal from his "attacker."<p>

"Zelgadis~!"

"AMELIA! DON'T DO THAT!" he exclaimed angrily. "What in the world are you thinking?"

"I'm sorry… but I missed you… I've been so worried about you, and I'm so happy that I found you so quickly, and…" Amelia murmured.

"But that's no reason to attack me." Zelgadis sighed. "Still… I'm glad to see you're still alright."

"I am! I'm perfectly fine! And I'm so glad to see that you're here!" Amelia stood up triumphantly. "And I know that if you're here, then that means that you must have a plan!"

Zelgadis blinked. "Of course I have a plan."

"And your plan is…" Amelia smiled expectantly.

"…I don't know."

The self-proclaimed Warrior of Justice fell to the floor. "_That's _your plan? But you're the smartest person I know, Zelgadis! You must have some sort of solid idea of how to get everyone out of this mess and bring Justice to the evildoers! Surely you do! …Zelgadis?"

"Sure, I've got plenty. I've had plenty for a while now. But… Lina, Gourry, and Naga are still at the party… and… I've got to talk to you about something first." Zelgadis sighed.

"Talk to me? What about?" Amelia asked pleasantly.

"Um… it's a serious matter…" Zelgadis mumbled. "… kind of regarding what Xellos was talking about earlier… I…" he stopped. "Can we go somewhere else to discuss this? Somewhere further from the party?"

"Oh… okay." Amelia replied. "But what about Miss Lina, Mister Gourry, or Gracia? And there's still Pokota too- he was coming with me to look for you, but we decided to split up in order to search, and I haven't seen him since. I hope he's alright."

"They know this already. Well… all except for Pokota…" Zelgadis paused. "…and is it just 'Pokota' now?"

"Yes… just 'Pokota'… When you're trapped with someone for a long time, they begin to become like family." Amelia admitted. "I've never had a real brother before, so for some reason, Pokota just seemed…"

Zelgadis chuckled. "Brother', huh? Funny you should refer to him in that way. Naga seems quite smitten with him."

Amelia smiled brightly. "Really? Have they met?"

"No… not yet… I think she's going to get a real shock when she sees what he really looks like." the chimera smirked.

Amelia smiled. "I'm sure that Gracia will like him, stuffing and all."

Zelgadis laughed. "Stuffing and all, huh? I suppose there's something to be said for a girl who will accept a man who's a stuffed toy."

"It's the man underneath, not the outside." Amelia grabbed Zelgadis' hand. "Be it stuffing, stone, or whatever, a person is a person."

"Amelia..." Zelgadis pulled his hand away. "I need to talk to you about something first, alright?" The chimera's expression clouded, much to Amelia's confusion.

"What's wrong? Is it something about me? About Miss Marielle?"

"No… it's about me…" Zelgadis murmured. "Let's… go find someplace quiet, okay?"

Amelia blinked, frowning with a baffled expression. "Okay."

* * *

><p>"Zelgadis...? Amelia...?" Naga ventured out into the hallway, wondering where her sister was. After an attempt to find a dancing partner suitable for her, Naga had come up short. It seemed that every man at the party was either a horrible dancer, or taken.<p>

She had seen Zelgadis wander off into the hallway, but wasn't sure where he'd gone. She knew that straying too far from the ballroom would be dangerous, considering the mansion's magical properties, but she just couldn't sit around while Zelgadis was wandering off trying to find Amelia. Naga gave a sigh, and turned down one hallway to see if she could find anyone down that way.

As she walked, she became aware of a strange noise. It was an odd, scratching-scurrying sound, and when she followed it, she found that it was coming from one of the ventilation shafts.

Something was crawling around in there.

Naga shuddered. Rats? Marielle didn't have rats in her mansion. Besides, from the sound of things, it was far too light to be a rat. Rats were heavy, lumbering things, and whatever this was, it sounded almost as if it were walking on air. Puzzled, Naga followed the sound of the creature down the hallway.

* * *

><p>"This food is so good! For someone who's so evil, that Marielle girl sure knows how to cook!" Gourry exclaimed.<p>

"She probably has professional chefs that do that sort of thing for her. I can't see that girl even lifting one finger to do something like this." Lina replied, still scarfing down the hors d'oeuvres that had been set out on the table.

"I don't think she cleans that well either. Did you notice that there's dust on the ceiling moulding?" Gourry pointed up.

"Gourry, don't notice strange things like that. It makes _you _look strange."

"Sorry. But dust bothers me." he apologised.

"If you're going to live with me, you're going to have to learn to live with dust too." Lina stated firmly.

Gourry thought it over for a moment. "That, I can do." he decided.

Lina grinned and reached absentmindedly back over to the tray that had food on it, but was surprised to find none. "Oops, looks like we ate everything." she laughed. "As per usual."

"So what now?"

Lina shrugged. "They'll probably bring out some more food later. Meanwhile, let's dance! I saw Naga searching the dance floor for partner earlier- we can't get left behind!"

"That's funny, I don't see her now. But I'd be more than happy to dance with you!" Gourry mentioned, eagerly grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the dance floor.

"Huh, now that you mention it, I don't see her. Maybe I was just imagining seeing her."

"Well, you probably did. Your memory is much better than mine- you know how my memory is." Gourry replied.

"Oh, I've known for a long time." Lina nodded with a grin. "But your dancing skills… I'm still not quite sure of."

"I won't step on your feet, but I can't promise anything else." Gourry admitted.

"That's good enough!"

It took awhile, but eventually Lina and Gourry became tired of stumbling around the dance floor, talking about all kinds of things- mostly the food they'd just eaten, and what of it had been their favourite. They were rather uncoordinated, but having too much fun to care. They retired to one of the balconies alongside the large ballroom- a good place for people who wanted to catch a moment alone in all the excitement of the party.

"You know, this mansion really is in the middle of nowhere. Look how many stars you can see! There aren't any lights anywhere else. Not like in the big city. It was like this back at that house that we were staying at too…" Gourry observed, looking around.

"The whole region is like this. It's mostly rural farmland in this portion of Seyruun, so the population density isn't as high as in the city. It's so peaceful… you know, if there wasn't a big party going on behind us, and the person throwing the party hadn't attempted to kill us on numerous occasions… and there wasn't someone- WHOA! HEY!" Lina stumbled back a few steps from the balcony. "I didn't even see you there, kid! You should have said something! You know it's dangerous to sit out on the railing of the balcony like that, right?"

On the large railing of the balcony, sat a small girl in a loose-fitting white nightgown- nothing nearly as fancy as what the people in the party had been wearing. The girl was dressed for bed, not a masquerade ball! And on top of it, she had her face buried in her arms as though she had been crying, which concerned Lina and Gourry slightly. What was a young girl doing all alone at a party like this? Something didn't feel right, and the feeling of unease grew greatly as the girl lifted her head to stare back at the couple that was observing her.

Her pale blue eyes blinked curiously, as though seeing Lina and Gourry for the first time, though the two of them knew it couldn't be true. Gourry put a protective arm around Lina as she backed away slightly. Both of them had enough experience with their friend's kidnapper to recognise her face anywhere.

"Y-YOU!" Lina stammered.

* * *

><p>(AN: Naga, haven't you seen any horror movies? You _never _follow the strange sounds in the ventilation system down a dark hallway in the haunted mansion… ah, whatever. We all know what she's following, in any case. Also, as a side note, I've finally got more chapters up now than I did in my previous version of the story! I'm much more satisfied with the re-write... and this time, the story is actually coming together! Thank goodness!)


	21. Action!

Chapter 21! Yay! As usual, I don't own Slayers, I'm just a fan who's having fun writing fiction! Please enjoy it! ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>21- Action! Nothing is ever that simple!<strong>

Naga followed the sound of the strange animal, trying to figure out just what in the world it was. Her mind raced with ideas, many of them not very pleasant. Was it one of Marielle's experiments gone horribly wrong, now escaped and running through the ventilation system? What if there was a whole _assemblage_ of escaped experiments that had set up some sort of colony within the ventilation shafts, breeding the next generation of warped, experimental animals? There was no limit to the frightening possibilities!

Despite this, Naga kept following the sound, trying to locate the creature and where it was trying to go. Finally, she came to a single conclusion.

"It's heading toward the ballroom..." she murmured softly. "I've got to intercept it before it gets there! I'm going to save the party!"

Naga chased after the sound, trying to find an opening in the shaft where she could gain access to the creature. Finally, she had managed to race ahead of whatever the animal was and found an opening. It wasn't very big, but it was small enough that she could fit both hands through easily.

Hearing the animal running unsuspectingly toward that particular spot, she readied herself to launch a surprise attack.

"GOTCHA!"

Naga's hands managed to clench onto something small and fluffy- though it felt odd. Not like a flesh-and-blood animal, but more like a stuffed toy. There was a shriek of surprise from her victim, and Naga pulled the animal out slowly to get a better look at it.

"H-hey! Let go! What in the world is going on? Stop it! Let go of me! FIREBALL!"

Naga had to swiftly dodge a Fireball hurled in her direction. "Wh-what was _that_?" she exclaimed.

The little animal that had fired at her, seemed to stop and stare for a moment. "You..." he murmured. "You're not one of Marielle's subordinates... you're just a guest at the ball... but what are you doing outside of the ballroom?"

Naga blinked. It was just beginning to dawn on her that this animal could talk.

"I... uh... well..." she stammered. "What about you? What in the world are you?"

"What do you mean, 'what' am I? I'm Prince Posel Korba Taforashia! It's 'who,' not 'what!"

That was it! That was why the voice sounded familiar!

"P-Pokota...?" Naga stammered. "Y-you're... you're..." Before Pokota could have a chance to respond, Naga tackled him again in a big hug. "Oh, it _is _you! You're my little Pokota buddy! Oh, Pokota, I've missed you~!"

"N-Naga?" Pokota was taken off-guard. He hadn't really been sure what to expect from the young woman. He knew that she was Amelia's sister, so there would be some resemblance, but he didn't realise just how much resemblance there really was. She did look a lot like Amelia! But, besides that, she didn't seem to be fazed at all by the fact that her 'little Pokota buddy' was a stuffed toy.

Hearing her name, Naga let go of the stuffed animal and stood up, laughing. "Yes, Pokota! It is I, Naga the Serpent! OHOHOHO~!"

"Sh-sh-shhh!" Pokota growled. "Keep your voice down! Marielle will catch us!"

Naga covered her mouth for a second. "Oops. Sorry." she whispered, and then tried to perform a whispered version of her laugh. "Ohohoho..." It didn't seem to go over as well as she had wanted, and so she let the sound sort of die off.

Pokota decided to cut to the chase. "So... you're here looking for Amelia and me, right?"

"Of course! Zelgadis went off to find Amelia, and I wanted to go with him, but I wanted to dance first... though, I couldn't find anyone to dance with."

"Really?" Pokota looked surprised. An attractive person like Naga would usually attract many people wanting to dance with her.

N-not that he found her attractive, of course. He just figured that other people might. Yeah, that was it.

"Well, I have high standards, you see." Naga waved her hand dismissively. "There wasn't anyone who could meet my criteria."

"Oh, I see..." Pokota murmured. That explained it.

"Yes, none of them were quite as sophisticated and well-mannered as you and I, Pokota."

Pokota stared for a moment. How in the world had he gotten included in this? He jumped up and perched on Naga's head.

"Um... hello? Are you not noticing the fact that I'm a stuffed animal?"

"Oh, that?" Naga chuckled. "It's not a big deal."

"Are you crazy? Of course it's a big deal!" He paused, realising that he sounded like Zelgadis, and decided to amend that statement. "I mean... it's not really a big deal to me... but I didn't know if you felt that... I mean..."

"Aww, Pokota~!" Naga pulled the stuffed animal off of her head. "Are you crazy? You look so cute like this! Besides, I've always wanted to meet a talking stuffed animal! This is so cool!"

Pokota sighed, realising that Naga was serious. "Listen, Naga, we should-"

"Oh, let's go back to the party! It'll be fun! You seem so serious, Pokota! We have to teach you how to have fun!" Naga ran back toward the ballroom, but Pokota jumped up and pulled her back.

"Wait! Wait! I can't go in there! Marielle is in there, and if she sees me, then she'll know that Amelia and I have escaped! We can't let that happen!"

"Oh... alright then." Naga corrected. "Well then... I guess we'll just have to find Amelia and get you two out of here."

"B-but we can't leave here either! Amelia and I are bound to the mansion- meaning that we aren't able to leave or else our souls will return to the jars with which Marielle has experimented with us!"

Naga blanched. "Then how in the world are we supposed to rescue you?"

"I suppose..." Pokota murmured. "If we sneak into the place where Marielle keeps her jars, then we can break the jars that are holding Amelia and me to the mansion, therefore freeing us to escape."

"Bravo, Pokota!" Naga clapped excitedly. "A wonderful idea! But... how exactly do we get to Marielle's stored jars?"

"Uh..." Pokota murmured. "I think I know the way... sort of..."

"Then lead ahead, Pokota buddy!" Naga chimed. "We'll set you and Amelia free to leave- and any other experiment that Marielle has trapped here too! Don't worry!"

Pokota sighed. Nothing was ever that simple. "Just follow me, and don't let your guard down."

* * *

><p>"Y-YOU!" Lina stammered.<p>

The girl stared back, blinking for a moment. "You can see me?" she asked.

"WELL, OF COURSE I CAN SEE YOU, YOU LITTLE-" Lina ran forward, reaching for the girl's throat, however, her efforts only propelled her nearly over the side of the balcony. Gourry grabbed the back of her dress to keep her from falling over the railing, and helping to steady her balance. Lina's mind raced, realising that she hadn't missed the girl, and the girl hadn't moved either. The sorceress felt that odd sensation of occupying the same physical space as a highly concentrated source of energy, felt only when a person came in contact with a strong magical spell.

Well, either a strong magical spell, or a ghost.

Lina felt the odd sensation pass, and turned around to see the girl standing opposite the balcony from them, looking melancholically apologetic. "I… I am so sorry…" she began sadly. "I was simply trying to be out of the way… I realise you two must have wanted to get a moment alone, and I-"

"Y-you're not alive." Lina interrupted.

The girl's expression softened a little. "No… I am not."

"So she's a ghost?" Gourry gasped. "B-but she's-"

"She's not who we thought she was." Lina replied, realisation of the situation dawning on her. "You… you're the_ elder_ twin sister, aren't you?"

A small smile lit the girl's face. "So you know? About my younger sister?"

"Too much of what we don't want to know, and not enough of what we do." Lina sighed.

"That is a common problem, is it not?" the girl sighed. "Too much knowledge of problems and not enough knowledge of how to solve them."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "I take it that you're not condoning your sister's actions, then?"

"Her intentions were pure in the beginning… but they have become darkened… she has become obsessed with that strange, twisted creation that she controls, and I fear a demon is behind it."

"A demon, huh?" Lina murmured. "That would explain a lot. Especially the way she tortures people. And it would also make it a bit easier to take on. I haven't the slightest idea what some of her methods are, but if a demon is behind it, a demon is a demon, and I'm well-versed in how to fight them." The sorceress grinned mischievously. "And fighting demons makes Lina happy."

"Why is it that your ideas of fun always make me nervous?" Gourry asked, a twinge of exasperation in his voice.

"Oh, don't worry, Gourry!" Lina exclaimed, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder. "The fact is that I've got plenty of methods of fighting demons! Still…" she paused to think it over. "Gourry, have you ever sensed a demonic presence from her? At least one you recognise?"

"Uh… not that I remember." he replied. "Now that you mention it… not really…"

"Point- she definitely doesn't have that demonic presence that you'd expect from someone who was possessed… yet, she's definitely not normal…"

The ghost that stood opposite the balcony to them approached them with her head bowed slightly. "If… if the two of you are versed in the extermination of demons, then can I ask you a large favour? Would you please do something about my younger sister? I beg of you- there must be some way to stop what she is doing. She is hurting so many people… I just can't bear to watch it! Promise me that you will rescue her victims and stop her twisted experiment before it becomes too late… please?"

Lina grinned and gestured toward herself. "Hey, that's what we were doing in the first place! A very close friend of ours has been captured and experimented on- so this isn't just for you! It's been personal from the very moment that we met your sister! I promise to you that we're going to make things right and teach your sister a lesson!"

Gourry nodding, smiling in agreement. "And remember, Lina doesn't do things halfway. If she makes a promise then it's a promise that she's keeping- you can bet on it!"

The ghost girl smiled, looking as though she might have broken into tears had she been alive. "Oh, thank you! You are so wonderful! Ever since I died, I have been bound to my twin sister, to make sure that she would grow into a fine adult, and I cannot move on until I know that she is on the right path. Please, go easy on her- she may be misled at the moment, but I am sure that there is a good person deep down."

Lina took a deep breath. "We'll do what we can. But going easy on her? That… we can't promise…"

"I know." the girl sniffled. "You have reason to be mad with her. I realise this. But please… just be careful with her, alright?"

"You've got it." Lina grinned. "We'll do the best we can."

* * *

><p>"Entropy, hmm?" Amelia murmured thoughtfully, the exact opposite reaction that Zelgadis had feared that she would have. She hadn't panicked, gotten upset, or shed a single tear over the idea of what was going to happen to him. Instead, she got right to work thinking of some way to change it. He should have known that Amelia wouldn't take something like this lying down- she'd fight it as much as she could. "I think…" she continued. "I remember reading a book about that… about white magic spells used to stabilise entropic forces…"<p>

Zelgadis was used to suppressing any excitement he might find over a potential cure- years upon years of dead-ends had taught him that much- and didn't show much interest over Amelia's statement. Still, he was curious. "A book, you say? What book was this?"

"It was something I read once in the Seyruun library."

"The Seyruun library?" Zelgadis asked sceptically. Nothing was _that _easy.

"Yes… but I've forgotten what book it was."

_Aha. _Zelgadis thought to himself. _I knew it wouldn't be that easy._

"Then it's not much help, is it?

Amelia frowned. "Zelgadis, I can't believe that you'd say that! As long as there is hope to be able to fix this situation, you ought to be optimistic! The power of Justice will surely-"

"Amelia, please think logically. This isn't something to be discussed while we're still in this mansion. First things first, we've got to get you out of here."

"Then why did you tell me about this _now?_" Amelia demanded.

"Because I didn't think you'd go right to work trying to find a solution." Zelgadis replied.

"Zelgadis! You know me better than that!" the princess scolded.

"Yes, yes, Zelgadis. You ought to know your own fiancé better than that."

Zelgadis and Amelia turned around in surprise. "Oh, give me a break." the chimera groaned. "This was hard enough without _you _here."

"Zelgadis, I'm offended. What do you have against me?" Xellos asked. "I'm here to help you get Amelia out of the mansion and find that book she was talking about."

"You've been listening to our conversation?" Zel hissed.

"I was waiting for an appropriate time to say something. You wouldn't have wanted me interrupting at an awkward time, would you?" Xellos replied.

"I wouldn't want you interrupting at all." Zelgadis spat, crossing his arms indignantly. He wasn't having what one would call a very good day, and Xellos was just making it worse.

"Wait, wait, Zelgadis!" Amelia interrupted. "Didn't Mister Xellos just say that he was going to help us find the book?"

"_Can _you help us find the book?" Zelgadis asked.

"Of course I can help you find the book. If it'll help you out, then I'll be glad to do it." Xellos replied with a smile.

"Help us out? What do you mean by that?" Zelgadis questioned critically. "When have you ever wanted to 'help us out'- especially after what happened the last time we saw you?"

"Since always." Xellos grinned. He stepped around the pair lightly on his feet, setting his staff down on the ground. "It's my job, you see."

"Your job?" Amelia looked puzzled. "I thought you worked for Miss Marielle."

"Oh, that's a job-within-a-job, so to speak." Xellos grinned. "My real job- the one that my mistress orders me to- is keeping a balance of power that is favourable for the Mazoku race- the purpose for any high-ranking Mazoku. However, that jobs has many facets, I'm afraid."

"Facets like…" Zelgadis questioned.

"Well, that is a closely-guarded secret, Zelgadis. You should have known that." Xellos replied, placing a gloved finger over his lips playfully. "But I can say that looking after Miss Lina and her friends- so by extension, looking after _you_- is a large part of it. We think it's much more beneficial to the Mazoku race if you are kept alive. I know for a fact that Marielle is not going to kill Amelia, so I have no reason to disobey any orders from her, as of yet. That is why you consider me an enemy, I suppose."

"So you're saying that, if Miss Marielle was going to kill me, then you'd come and save me? Oh, Mister Xellos! How heroic of you!" Amelia complimented.

The Mazoku priest cringed at Amelia's outburst. "Heroic, nothing. It's my duty to keep you alive as long as possible. Zelgadis too, for that matter. That's why I'm so interested in helping him with his… ah… 'problem."

"So that's why you gave me that spell earlier- to buy me more time in which you could figure out how to fix this problem!" Zelgadis exclaimed. "I _knew _you had an ulterior motive!"

Xellos frowned. "My, my. Are you saying that you'd actually _prefer _to die, just in order to spite me? I never knew you hated me that much!"

Zelgadis crossed his arms indignantly."I never said _that._ I just want to know whose side you're on. Are you really here to help us right now? Or will helping us go against your _orders _from Marielle?"

"Well…" Xellos began thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, my orders for tonight were to simply enjoy myself and have a good time. And being the Mazoku that I am, I think a great escape plan would be much more fun than some silly party- so sure! I'm in!"

"I just knew that you'd help us, Mister Xellos!" Amelia exclaimed happily.

"Of course." Xellos nodded. "Now, I think we should go ahead and find the room where Marielle store the jars that she is currently using and-"

"W-wait! Hang on a second! _I _had a plan, you know!" Zelgadis interrupted indignantly.

"I'm sure you did, but are you sure that your plan is really well-thought-out?"

"Of course it is!" Zelgadis snapped. "I've spent the past two days brainstorming ideas with Lina, Gourry, and Naga! We're not stupid, Xellos! We know what we're up against now!"

"I suppose you must have put a lot of thought into this… so we can go with your plan if you really want to. However…" Xellos murmured. "I can assure you that you have _absolutely no idea _what you're dealing with."

* * *

><p>(AN: Official line for this chapter- "nothing is ever that simple." Because it's not! ...most of the time…)


	22. Jars, jars, and more jars!

Chapter 22! I have a feeling that, by the end of this chapter, I'm going to be in some hot water… ah, well. It's all about plot twists… and plot twists… Anyway, I don't own anything related to Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction! Please enjoy!

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><p><strong>22- Jars, jars, and more jars! What else?<strong>

"So… uh… Lina? Where are we going?"

"We're going to see if we can find anything that might be of value to Marielle." Lina replied. She and Gourry were making their way down the large corridors of the mansion, trying to stay as quiet as possible. It seemed like all the servants or guards were at the party, but there was no way to tell for sure, and they certainly didn't want to be captured outside of the party that they had been invited to, since the person who invited them had previously wanted them dead.

"How will we know what's important to her?" Gourry asked. "Didn't you say that it would have to be valuable enough to her that she'd be willing to trade Amelia and Pokota for it?"

"Of course." Lina nodded. "But you're right- figuring out what is that important to her will be pretty difficult. We've just got to hope that it'll stand out from the rest of her possessions. It should."

"Her possessions? Are we trying to find her bedroom or something?"

"Well, I figure that might be a good place to start." Lina shrugged.

As they walked down the hallway, Gourry poked his head in and out of various rooms. "Not this room… Not this one either…nope… these rooms all look as though no one's been in them for years! Not this one… or this one… _yikes!_"

"What's the matter?" Lina quickly turned around.

"Uh, that room had a lot of creepy paintings in it!"

Lina crept toward the door and pulled it open apprehensively. "Paintings…?" she murmured, looking around. The room was dark, yet she felt as though she were being stared at from all directions. She created a small lighting spell, and yelped in surprise as she discovered that she was right. "Wh-whoa! Look at all these paintings! These people are…"

The paintings were not hung on the walls, but stacked on shelves as thought they were being stored rather than displayed. The largest of the paintings sat in a frame on the floor propped up next to the wall. Lina examined it for a moment. It showed a family- a beautiful young woman holding an infant in her arms, sitting next to a proud-looking man with his arms around two identical little girls who couldn't have been more than 5 years old. An older boy, who looked to be about 7 or 8 stood by his mother, smiling brightly as the rest of his family was doing.

"They look so happy…" Lina murmured.

"Of course they do. I'd be happy if I had a family like that!" Gourry exclaimed. He smiled and put his arms around Lina's shoulders. "…maybe we will one day."

"That's a lot of kids, Gourry. I wouldn't get your hopes up." Lina argued, brushing him off. "But, more importantly, look at those twins. That's Marielle and her sister, alright. But… I don't see the older sister."

"Older sister?" Gourry asked.

"Remember? That one that Naga always talked about- Jetta. All I see is Marielle and her twin, an older brother, and an infant that appears to be a boy, from the way he's dressed. No Jetta."

"Maybe she wasn't there when it was painted. She might be in one of the other paintings."

Lina and Gourry searched through the paintings, but they were all of the same four children, or one of the parents. Not one painting was of an older girl.

"Something's fishy about this. I wonder if that 'Jetta' person is related to Marielle at all." Gourry sighed.

"I saw the two of them together at the party. They looked almost exactly alike- there's no mistaking the fact that they're sisters. Jetta almost looks like an older version of Marielle in a way. They've _got _to be related somehow." Lina disagreed.

"Well... then… oh!" Gourry exclaimed. "Maybe Jetta was the one to paint all these pictures, hence why she's not _in _any of them!"

Lina frowned. "A good theory, since she'd obviously be the oldest child, but not likely. Why wouldn't she add herself to the family portraits? Wouldn't she have done at least one self-portrait?"

"But if she's not related to Marielle, who is she?" Gourry protested.

"I think the better question might be '_what _is she?" Lina corrected.

* * *

><p>"So, Pokota, where would Marielle be keeping these jars? The faster we can find them, the faster we can get you out of here!" Naga spoke as they made their way through the halls of the mansion.<p>

"I think I know where it is- just keep your voice down!" Pokota hissed, putting a finger to his lips. "It should be in a room where she keeps her experiments…"

They rounded a corner and came across a large room filled with multiple animal cages, intricately designed dolls, and plush toys of various sizes.

Naga shuddered. "This looks like a child's playroom directly from a horror novel!" She paused over one particular animal cage that appeared to be empty. However, the cage was clean, the floor covered in sawdust, and the small food and water containers were full. Two small wooden shelters rested on the floor. Naga opened the door of the cage and picked up one of them to see if there were any animals underneath. Sure enough, two small guinea pigs that had been huddled next to each other underneath the shelter made a mad dash to the second shelter when the first was removed. "Guinea pigs…" Naga murmured. "It figures."

She placed the wooden shelter back on the floor of the cage, and turned around to the others. Various rodents, reptiles, and birds stared back at her from behind bars. Naga frowned at the thought of animals subjected to such treatment, but further examination alleviated her fears somewhat.

"Pokota, these animals seem to be well taken care of. Their cages are all clean, they have plenty of food, and none of them looks to be sick or malnourished."

"Marielle takes good care of her test subjects." Pokota responded sourly. "I should know."

Naga frowned again, and began fishing through some of the file cabinets on the shelves by the cages. She found a stack of paper filed and organised, and began flipping through it with a gasp. "Pokota, I think you might want to see this!"

"Hmm?" Pokota turned around from fishing through the pile of plush toys stacked in a corner. He jumped up and rushed to Naga's side. "What is it?"

"Pedigrees…" Naga murmured. "All these animals are purebred."

Pokota frowned. "Why on earth would Marielle get _purebred _animals if she's just going to run tests on them?"

Naga continued to stare at the papers. "Maybe it affects the outcome of the tests somehow…"

"There really isn't any difference between purebred animals and regular animals… at least, I wouldn't think…" Pokota replied. "Maybe Marielle is just paranoid-"

"Royal blood." Naga breathed.

"What?"

"Marielle wants pure- or royal- blood! Look at her human test subjects! You, me, Amelia… we're all royalty, Pokota!" Naga exclaimed.

"You… you're right…" Pokota gasped. "But... why?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Naga shrugged. "But she's obviously got a goal in mind…" Putting the pedigree papers back into the drawer, she moved to look at the birdcages. Most were small parakeets and cockatiels, but one cage had a grey parrot that seemed to be sleeping quite contently, and another held a large black raven.

"Wow… aren't you a pretty bird?" Naga sighed dreamily as she stared at the raven. It stared back at her, giving a small squawk in reply. "If we do escape, I want to come back for this guy. I like him."

"That's great, but I can't seem to find the jars. I'm wondering where Marielle put them... she must have stored them somewhere else for safekeeping."

"But where?" Naga asked.

"That's a good question…" Pokota murmured.

"Pokota, if we break your Hellmaster's Jar, then you'll return to your body, right? You won't just… dissipate? Because that would be really bad." Naga asked curiously.

"Well…" he had to think about it, realising the danger that he might be faced with. "This is technically the body that my soul is bound to, as I broke the jar holding my spirit to it, and yet ended up back in it after my real body was destroyed anyway, so it ought to figure that my soul would return to that body if the jar Marielle has me tied to is broken…"

"I didn't understand half of that, but as long as the answer is 'yes', then it must be safe! We can just go ahead and break the Hellmaster's Jar, and then when you return to your body, You'll be able to get out of here- with us and Amelia too! You know the layout of the mansion, right?"

Pokota nodded. "Of course I do. But… isn't that a little risky?"

"Nonsense! Logic says it ought to work! Let's trust logic, shall we?" Naga grinned.

"Pokota sighed. "Fine, fine… what are you doing now?"

Naga walked up the cage that held the large raven and opened the door, offering her arm as a perch for the bird to land on. "Come here, little guy. I won't hurt you. Not like that nasty Marielle."

"You're taking the raven?" Pokota gasped.

"Why not? He's a beautiful bird, isn't he?" Naga replied.

"Sure he is… it's just… with your personality, I'd think you'd be taking one of the guinea pigs or mice." Pokota shrugged.

"I'd like to, but the raven might eat the guinea pig or mouse. They're omnivores, you know." Naga pointed out.

"The mouse I could see, but I'd think a guinea pig would be too large for a raven to- agh! Forget this! Let's just go!"

"Right!" Naga nodded. The raven jumped from his perch on her arm and landed on her shoulder obediently. "That's a good boy." Naga smiled, and followed Pokota to the next room.

* * *

><p>"Well, here's all the jars." Pokota finally said, looking around.<p>

"Th-there's so many of them!" Naga exclaimed in dismay. The raven on her shoulder squawked in agreement. "How in the world will we ever figure out which one is yours? There's got to be some way… let's think… we may just have to let the power of Justice guide us to the correct jar! I know the power of Justice will not fail us-"

"Naga," Pokota interrupted, picking up a particular jar. "it's the one jar without the red jewel on it. Zelgadis pulled it off, and you cut it in half. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah. That's right. Oops." Naga laughed embarrassedly.

Pokota took the jar to the metal table in the centre of the room and set it down gently. "Now… we've got to figure out a safe way to break this jar. We don't want to do it in such a way that could possibly lead to-"

"FREEZE ARROW!"

He jumped aside as Naga sent an icy attack spiralling toward the small jar. He was about to open his mouth to protest, but the jar suddenly shattered and he felt a wrenching pain.

Pokota's world went black.

"Did it work?"

Naga blinked, seeing the jar shatter and the little stuffed animal suddenly fall unconscious on the table.

"P-Pokota...?" she murmured. "Pokota? POKOTA?" She shook him, but he didn't move. "Oh, no... what happened? What did I just do...?" She frantically turned to the bird on her shoulder for advice.

The raven had no comment.

* * *

><p>"Lina, this room is like a house all by itself!" Gourry exclaimed in disbelief. "Forget the mansion! A whole family could live in this one room!"<p>

"That just goes to show how wealthy Marielle really is." Lina replied. "And how much we have to choose from when picking out something valuable to demand a trade for Amelia and Pokota."

"So we're looking for something that stands out, right?" Gourry looked around. "Maybe we should look in the closet. She seems to favour jewellery and clothing."

"Good thinking, Gourry. You can dig through the closet, while I go searching through the main bedroom. I'm sure there's something in here of value, we just have to find it…"

Gourry went into the closet and began rummaging through the articles of clothing- dresses, hats, scarves, shoes... the girl had more clothing in this one closet than he'd seen in a lot of stores!

Lina, however, began searching around the bed. She made sure to look in drawers and on shelves- the most important things wouldn't be left around in plain sight, right? She continued with not much luck for a few minutes before she was suddenly interrupted by a muffled noise.

"Gourry? What's wrong? I can't hear you. What'd you say?" Lina called.

Gourry poked his head out of the closet. "Uh... Lina...? You may want to come and take a look at this."

Lina frowned, walking around the corner into the closet. "What do you mean...?" her voice trailed off as her gaze turned to a shelf that Gourry had found behind a rack of clothing.

Behind all of the clothes, there was a small hidden door.

"A door?" Lina murmured, a nervous chill running down her spine. "Where... do you think it goes...?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Gourry replied. "Should we...?"

"The only reason for having a door hidden like that is if there is something important behind it." Lina replied. "Surely it must be... I mean... we should..." She took a step back. "Gourry, open that door."

"...huh?" He was surprised. "Well, I'll try..."

He pulled on the door, trying to get a grip on it. Gourry was strong, and usually the go-to person whenever they needed a heavy door opened. But he tried as hard as he could, and it still wouldn't budge.

"Lina, this isn't working." he panted. "What should we do?"

Lina stared at the door and thought for a moment. She remembered Marielle saying something about magical locks being a 'normal fixture' at the mansion. "Well... I guess... perhaps I should try something. Let me see that door." She knelt down beside it and attempted to channel some sort of magic into it.

As she shifted the type of magic that she was channelling into the door, it began to change colours, letting Lina know that she was getting close. As the door changed colours, it eventually began to glow brighter, and when it reached a powerful green glow, a mechanism within the lock clicked, and the door opened up. Lina pulled her hands away and stared at it.

"...what in the world...?"

Grabbing the side of the door, Lina pulled it open further, and revealed a small compartment. She gasped loudly. "Th-that's..."

The compartment was barely large enough to house the object that it held. A lone jar stood behind the door, sitting alone within the confines of the tiny space.

"What is this doing _here_?" Lina reached out and carefully pulled the jar out of the compartment. As soon as she touched it, a strange, tingling sensation shot up her arms. She turned it around several times, staring sceptically at it. "This looks almost like..."

"Is is a replica Hellmaster's Jar?" Gourry asked.

"Well... I think it might be. A replica Hellmaster's Jar that is containing..." She paused, not wanting to say so, but still needing to articulate her ideas to convince herself of them. "...containing something powerful..."

"Something powerful?" Gourry asked. "What does that mean? Is there something inside of it that is dangerous?"

"There might be. Should I open it?" Lina asked.

"Open it? Why would you want to do that?"

"Just to see what's inside." Lina replied sternly. "If we don't know what's in here, then we won't have any idea what to do with it. It could be really important, or it could be completely worthless, but we won't know unless we figure out what it contains."

Gourry stared at Lina for a long moment, and then drew his sword. "Okay." he said, glancing toward his weapon. "_Now_, you can open it."

Tentatively, Lina pulled the lid off the jar and stared into the blackness within. She fully expected some sort of demented Mazoku to jump out at her and attack, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, she felt a strong energy beginning to creep up from the jar. It started up her arms and slowly pulled her in, as though it were consuming her. The world began to spin, and she blacked out.

Gourry just stared in horror at Lina, who appeared to be motionless with her eyes fixed on the seemingly empty depths of the jar. Her eyes began to close, and she almost seemed as if she were in some sort of trance. "...Lina...?" he murmured, and placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to get her attention. It gave him a temporary shock, and he snapped back in surprise. "Huh?"

Lina began breathing heavily, and her mouth began to move, beginning to chant. Gourry took a slight step back, until he caught what she was murmuring.

"..._darkness beyond blackest pitch_..."

Gourry shot to attention. What was that?

"..._deeper than the deepest night_..."

Quickly putting away his sword, he grabbed Lina's arms that were clutching the jar, despite the strange sensation that shot through his body. "Lina! Lina! What do you think you're doing?"

Lina was unfazed. "..._Lord of Darkness_..."

"Lina! LINA!" Gourry shook her violently, but it was no use. She clutched the jar tightly, and her incantation didn't waver.

"..._shining like gold upon the Sea of Chaos_..."

"LINA!"

"..._I call upon thee_..."

"LINA! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"..._swear myself to thee-_"

"LINA! STOP!" Suddenly realising what might be the problem, Gourry wrenched the lid from Lina's hand, and slammed it onto the jar, knocking it from her other hand. The jar landed on the carpeted floor, rolling onto its side. Gourry didn't have time to bother with it, however, as Lina's eyes snapped open, and she fell over backwards. The aura of power in the room completely dissipated as the girl landed in his arms.

"Lina!" Gourry shook her, trying to get her attention. She snapped back to consciousness right away, breathing heavily. The two of them sank to the ground, clutching one another in fear.

It was a long, silent moment before either of them spoke. Both of them fixed their stares on the jar, lying motionless the floor as though it hadn't just caused Lina to go positively insane. Their gazes shifted to one another, as though they were trying to seek solace in the fact that each of them was just as terrified as the other.

"Wh-what just..." Lina began, but couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Are you alright?" Gourry asked. Never mind the fact that she had just nearly killed them both- that could wait until they managed to calm down slightly.

"I... I think..." Lina was still having trouble talking. "I don't know what came over me, I just... I reacted without thinking, and..."

"How do you do something like _that _without thinking? That's something that you have to seriously think about!"

Lina scowled. "I told you, I couldn't think. All that was going through my head was just... nothingness... It was a subconscious reaction. But..." she sent a wary glance toward the jar that lay on its side on the floor. "...what's in that jar that would give me a reaction like _that_...?"

* * *

><p>(AN: I feel sort of like that last scene with Lina and Gourry went a little too fast, and tried to slow down the pacing a little bit. I hope it wasn't too… abrupt. They're dealing with some serious stuff now. O_O)


	23. Speculations

Here's another chapter! Ugh, so much foreshadowing in here- it's suffocating! Anyhow, I don't own Slayers, as usual. I'm just a fan who's having way too much fun winding up this convoluted tale. Thanks for reading!

* * *

><p><strong>23- Speculations! Have the puzzle pieces lined up yet? <strong>

"Uh… so… what do we do now…?" Naga asked the crow sitting on her shoulder, clutching Pokota protectively. The bird didn't have an answer, simply cocking his head to the side, as though confused by her question. The sorceress sighed in defeat. "Well… there's nothing to do now but-"

"Naga! There you are! We've been looking for you!"

Naga twirled around in surprise.

"Z-Zel? Amelia?"

"Gracia~!" Amelia exclaimed, rushing to hug her sister. Naga returned the gesture happily, as the crow jumped off her shoulder in surprise, flapping his wings loudly. "Oh Amelia! You're alright! I've been so worried ever since we last saw each other! It was terrible, and I thought that Mister Xellos was going to let that Marielle girl do something terrible to you!"

"He helped us out, and then told us to find everyone else, saying that he had some other things to attend to, and that I shouldn't be suspicious, considering what I owe him. "Zelgadis frowned. "You know, the longer he holds this over my head, the more I'm beginning to think that death would be a better alternative to owing_ Xellos _anything…"

"Zelgadis!" Amelia scolded, rushing from her sister's side to grab the chimera's arm.

"Please tell me what's going on! And someone please tell me what is the matter with my little Pokota buddy!" Naga demanded.

The two of them turned to Naga as the large bird perched himself on her shoulder once again. Zelgadis sighed and began. "We're trying to put those plans of ours into action. What have you done to Pokota?"

Naga shot a glance to the doll that she held, which lay still and lifeless. "Well… that is…"

"P-Pokota!" Amelia gasped, a horrified expression on her face. "I-is he…?"

"You broke his Hellmaster's Jar." Zelgadis murmured, staring at the shards of the jar on the table. "Why'd you do that?"

"Pokota wanted me to." Naga replied bluntly.

"Why?"

"Well, because… because… he wanted me to. I don't know! Ask him!"

"How exactly do we get him to respond?" Amelia asked, glancing around.

"I… don't know that either."

"So you broke his Hellmaster's Jar without even knowing what to do afterward?" Zelgadis demanded. "Naga, you idiot!"

"I-it was Pokota's idea, I swear!" Naga defended. "He wanted to go ahead and break the spell…"

"And how long has it been since you broke the jar?"

"Not long." Naga replied. "I just want to know what's wrong with him…"

"I think… that's what we all want to know…" Amelia murmured.

* * *

><p>Lina and Gourry both stared at the jar, glanced at one another, and looked back at the jar. Gourry began to reach for it, but Lina grabbed his arm.<p>

"Wait. We still don't know what's in there." Lina murmured.

"And how are we supposed to figure it out?" Gourry replied. "You asked that yourself."

Lina paused for a long moment, thinking it over. "Er... well... the thing is, that... to suddenly start chanting _that _spell... after we fought Phibrizzo for the first time, I promised myself that I'd never use that spell again. But, back in Taforashia, I had to use it in order to fight..."

Gourry paused. "Uh... to fight..."

After a long pause, not answering Gourry's question, Lina jumped up suddenly. "That's it!" she murmured to herself. "That's what Xellos was talking about!"

Gourry blinked in confusion. "What? I don't get it?"

"What did the original Hellmaster's Jar do?' he asked." Lina replied. "And we didn't think about it, but... remember what happened in Taforashia? The original Hellmaster's Jar was a vessel that contained the soul of the Demon Lord Shabranigdo."

Gourry's gaze moved back toward the jar, and he shot away from it quickly. "D-d-don't joke like that, Lina!" he stammered.

"I'm not joking. I wish I was." Lina replied. "After I used the Giga Slave to defeat Hellmaster and nearly destroyed everything because of it, I promised that I'd never use the spell again. But during the fight against Shabranigdo, in Taforashia, I had no choice. I was up against a Demon Lord, and there was nothing else to do." She pointed across the room at the jar. "_That jar _must contain a portion of the Demon Lord- at least some sort of link to it! Why else would it give me a reaction like that?"

"…Lina…" Gourry murmured uneasily. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Me neither…" Lina murmured. "I can't understand how those two aristocrats would get their hands on something like that. What in the world is up with Marielle and her sister?"

Gourry seemed to seriously think it over for a minute, which had Lina slightly concerned. After a few minutes, when Lina was just about to step in and say that, for the sake of his health, he probably should stop, he came to somewhat of a conclusion. "Lina," he began, cutting her off, "what if her sister is the one controlling the whole thing, and she's just trying to make it look like it's Marielle's doing?"

Lina paused, thinking it over. Gourry had a point, but there were still some loose ends. "But that still doesn't explain Jetta's lack of appearance in the family portraits. I can't see why she wouldn't be there." Lina growled. "It seems like we've assembled the jigsaw puzzle, have one piece left and one hole… but the piece and the hole don't match up."

"Maybe you just have to turn the piece a different way." Gourry shrugged. "That always happened to me when I used to do jigsaw puzzles."

"Turn it a different way, huh?" Lina murmured. She began to think out loud, puzzling over the details. "Jetta is not in the pictures, but Marielle is… and that old photo the man in Belz showed us was taken 11 years ago… so if Marielle was eight or nine, then now she should be around 19 or 20… which is exactly how old Jetta looks… So, if you think about it, that means that Jetta should be considered normal, and Marielle is the anomaly."

"So Jetta is one of the twins?" Gourry asked.

"But that _still _doesn't make sense!" Lina growled. "Because we know Marielle, and we met the ghost of her twin sister on the balcony earlier! The ghost seems to fit in with the old man's story about Marielle's sister dying of smallpox ten years ago."

"But then the twin who didn't die should have gone on living and aged normally." Gourry countered. "Just like Jetta."

"But Marielle seems to be the same as she was when her sister died. She looks just like the ghost we met today." Lina pointed out.

Gourry tilted his head confusedly. "I don't get it. So are Marielle and Jetta theoretically the same person, just in two different times?"

"Like a doppelganger?" Lina murmured, pausing to think it over. "That can't be right… a person can't exist twice on a single time frame without causing odd effects in the stream of time."

"Odd effects like their double appearing as a little kid?" Gourry ventured.

The two were quiet for a moment, contemplating that.

"So… what you're saying is… that Marielle and Jetta might be essentially the same person, just warped by the stream of time?" Lina asked.

"I don't know..."

Lina added. "I'm still not totally convinced, though. Marielle and Jetta couldn't _really _be the same person… there's something else to it. One of them must be special somehow. It's probably unlikely… but I can't help thinking back to what that ghost said about her sister…"

"What? That she wanted us to be careful fighting her?" Gourry asked.

"No." Lina shook her head. "I keep thinking… about that great evil she mentioned… something about a great evil that might consume her… is that phrasing ringing any bells here?"

Gourry paused, not speaking up. Lina tried again.

"Who do we know who contained a great evil in his soul which eventually consumed him? Someone that Xellos likened to Marielle?"

Gourry gasped, suddenly remembering. "Oh! Are you talking about that Rezo guy?"

Lina closed her eyes. "It seems implausible at first, but you've got to think about it. Marielle obviously has this experiment that she wants to accomplish- just like Rezo wanted to cure his eyes. He was willing to do anything and experiment on anyone- even his own family- to accomplish it. Doesn't Marielle seem a bit similar? I still don't know what she wants, but she's willing to do anything to get it, and considering how wealthy her family is, I'd imagine that she has the means to _do _anything to get it."

There was a long silence.

"So… are we assuming that Marielle or Jetta is using the power of Shabra… Shab… Shab… uh, Ruby-Eyes that's in this jar?" Gourry stammered.

Lina glanced back at the jar. "Well... I don't see how that's possible, though. That's our problem. I'm sure she must have been connected to Rezo somehow, in order to get the design for the Hellmaster's Jar... but to actually acquire a piece of the Demon Lord... what in the world would she use it for? No, scratch that, where did she _get_ it in the first place?"

"And why is it locked away like this?" Gourry added.

Lina stopped. "Gourry... that's it! Maybe it's not locked up to keep people from harming it- maybe it's locked up to keep it from harming people!"

Both of them suddenly became very quiet, glancing over to the jar that was lying on the floor.

"Uh..."

"So..."

"You wanna... uh... pick it up, Gourry?"

"Me?"

"Well, I'm not risking blowing this place up like I was about to before."

"But... if it's really as dangerous as you said..."

Lina stood up. "If it's as dangerous as I think, then it's also important to Marielle. If that's the case, then we can use it to our advantage."

"How so?"

"_Hello? _We were coming here to find something to use as a bargaining chip to get Marielle to release Amelia and Pokota!" Lina reminded him. "_Think, _Gourry, think!"

"I don't know, Lina... I don't like it..."

"As long as we don't open or break the jar, then there's nothing to worry about." Lina said. "We just have to be careful..."

Gourry sent a glance to the jar. "Well... if you say so... you've got a better idea of what's going on than I do, so..."

Lina tentatively reached out to the jar and picked it up, ignoring the strange sensations that ran up and down her arms. As long as the lid was securely on top, she didn't go into crazy-kill-everything-mode, and that was a good thing. Turning toward the door of the closet, Lina began to leave, motioning for Gourry to follow her.

"W-wait... Lina?"

"What?"

"Are you _sure _that you'll be alright? There's something not right about that jar."

Lina gave a small sigh. "Gourry, I can't really be sure of anything. Honestly, I'm only speculating... I haven't the slightest idea whether or not the Demon Lord really is in here, or how Marielle got it. I'm only going by my educational guesses... but... what else is there to go by? We're stuck."

"I see..." Gourry nodded slowly. "Uh... so do you really have a plan based on these educational guesses?"

Lina hung her head. "Maybe I do, and maybe I don't. We just have to do what we can. If we overthink it, we'll be sunk. So..." she sighed sadly, clutching the jar closer subconsciously. She seemed to realise what she was doing, and moved it farther away from her. "C'mon Gourry, let's-"

"W-wait! Lina! I have one more question!"

Biting her lip, Lina turned back around. Gourry's questions were just restating her own misgivings, and for someone who was counting on speculation, having the plan she was putting her trust in completely undermined was not exactly a comforting thing. "...yes?" she murmured hesitantly.

Gourry hadn't stood up yet, and he simply shifted so that he was closer to Lina. He dug into his pocket and began talking.

"Um, well... I'm not really sure whether I'm doing this right, but while there's no one to interrupt us... uh..." he finally found the ring that he was looking for and presented it to Lina hesitantly. "...so... _now_, will you marry me? Please?"

Lina stared. "What? You ask me this _now_?"

"Well, you told me to surprise you tonight, so I figured that now was as good a time as any, and so I figured that, if I could maybe cheer you up..."

Lina sighed and let a small smile pass over her lips. "Gourry... you're the only person I know who could possibly lighten up a conversation with a marriage proposal." He seemed confused by this answer, and so she put the jar onto the ground and took the ring, placing it on her finger with a grin. "I never do get tired of you." she chuckled, picking up the jar again. "C'mon, let's go. We've got to get to where Marielle is- the faster we can get to her, the faster we can get Amelia and Pokota out of here!"

Gourry stared at her for a moment before her answer registered. "R-r-right!" he answered, and jumped up to follow after her.

* * *

><p>(AN: I think some of the intentions for the plot are starting to become clear… and where has Xellos run off to, on top of this? He's pretty fun to write when he has a proper hidden agenda that is completely separate from both the protagonists and the antagonists…)


	24. Give and take

Here is chapter 24… I'm really not sure how long this story will turn out to be. A big thanks to those of you who have stayed along for the ride- this story has tried my patience, but I think it's been worth it. As always, I don't own anything regarding Slayers, I'm just a fan who's having fun writing a story! Thanks for reading!

* * *

><p><strong>24- Give and take! Sinister negotiations<strong>

Amelia had wanted to free the animals from their captivity, but Zelgadis and Xellos advised against it. Since it was apparent that Marielle had moved on to human test subjects, and was still taking good care of her animals, there wasn't much need for it. Amelia said that, when she got the chance, she wanted to take them home to Seyruun and care for them herself, but she was reminded that, in her friends' minds, getting _her _out of the mansion was task enough for right now.

She joined Naga in fawning over the large, black raven. "Isn't he sweet?" Naga asked, stroking the bird's head. "What shall we name him?"

"I'm not sure I like it." Zelgadis added, sending a glare at the bird.

"Oh, he's not dangerous! Are you… uh… 'Arran?' Do you like that name?"

"I like it." Amelia smiled. "I think it's a lovely name."

"Don't _name _it!" Zelgadis hissed. "We've got more important things to do!"

"You shouldn't be rude to the poor bird, Zelgadis. You don't know what he's been through." Amelia protested.

The chimera sighed. "Okay, okay, fine. Maybe so. But can we _please _focus for now? Naga, what in the world have you found here?"

"Found here...?" Naga murmured, and suddenly noticed the stack of papers that Pokota had pulled out to look at. "Oh... you mean these pedigrees?"

"Pedigrees? What do you mean?" Zelgadis picked up some of the papers and examined them. "...all these test animals are purebred? What's that all about?"

"Pokota and I think that they must want royal blood for some reason." Naga spoke up.

"But royalty? That doesn't make any sense..." Zelgadis murmured. "I mean..."

"Well, Miss Marielle kidnapped Pokota and me. Perhaps... there's something to that." Amelia murmured.

Zelgadis sighed. "If that really is the case, then we're just going to have to figure out-"

"Figure out _what_, my dear friends?"

A stunned silence hung in the air for a moment, hearing the powerful voice echoing through the room. Amelia was the first to be able to stammer a reply, though it wasn't much of one.

"M-M-Miss Marielle..."

The girl walked into the room, her shoes making a loud clatter on the tile floor. She was followed by a worried-looking Jetta, and a rather smug Xellos.

"Mister Xellos informed me that some of my guests were setting up their own little private party back here. We cannot have that, now can we?" Marielle stated curtly.

For a second, no one moved. Zelgadis started toward Xellos angrily.

"Xellos! How dare you-"

His sentence was cut off as he doubled over and fell to the ground, trembling. Dark magic sparked around him and he clutched his head in pain.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia shrieked.

Xellos waved his hand and the attack subsided. "Don't forget, I'm still keeping you from falling apart, Mister Zelgadis." He said. "Don't get so worked up. You'll only speed up the chaotic processes that I'm keeping at bay."

"What... are you... doing... Xellos...?" Zelgadis stammered.

"He is guarding my personal project, of course." Marielle replied. "I do not understand why you silly people keep thinking that you can interfere with my goals."

"M-Miss Marielle... what are you doing? How can you do such horrible things? What are you trying to do?" Amelia pleaded. "Stop this, please!"

Marielle just laughed. "Oh, please! You could never understand the complexities of my plans."

"And yet you expect us to just allow you to keep doing something we don't even understand?" Zelgadis asked.

"I want to know what has happened to Pokota! What's wrong with him?" Naga exclaimed loudly.

Marielle glared at her, and approached slowly. "Well... I believe you ought to know that better than I do. You were, after all, the one to break the jar, correct?"

Naga opened her mouth to say something else, but Marielle just laughed. "Oh, please! Do no trouble yourselves. This is still a party, is it not? Come, let us get some fresh air."

The girl walked across the room to open one of the door and step out onto the terrace. Jetta followed, holding the door for everyone. Unsure of what to do next, they followed.

No one but Marielle seemed to be enjoying the nice weather. Zelgadis was too busy being enraged at Xellos and Marielle, and Amelia was trying to keep him calm and figure out what to do. Naga was preoccupied with Pokota, who was still unconscious, and didn't look as though he'd be waking up anytime soon.

"Marielle…" Zelgadis began, wondering if being civilized was the way to get back Amelia and Pokota. It was said that you could catch more flies with honey than vinegar, and he'd been figuratively throwing a lot of vinegar Marielle's way. "…it seems to me that-"

"Look at the stars, Mister Zelgadis."

"Huh?" the chimera was taken off-guard by Marielle's sudden interruption. "Excuse me? The stars?"

"Yes. That is what I said. Do observe them for a moment, will you?"

Reluctantly, Zelgadis turned his attention to the sky, along with a puzzled Amelia and Naga.

"There's so many of them!" Amelia exclaimed. "It's like being back at our summer home, Gracia!"

"Well, we aren't too far from it." Naga nodded.

Zelgadis turned back to Marielle. "Just what in the world are you trying to show us?"

"Keep looking at the starts, Mister Zelgadis. Ponder them for a moment." she replied. "Just imagine them… immortal, innumerable, their perpetual glimmering unceasing since time began… correct?"

There was silence for a long moment. Some on the terrace were pondering the question that Marielle had asked, while others were wondering where she was going with this.

Marielle continued cryptically. "At least… they do appear that way to mortal eyes which cannot live long enough to see the eternal cycle which binds all things together. Stars are mortal creatures- they are born, live their lives fully, and die just like those on this world. Transient beings like humans are unable to fully comprehend this cycle, as it goes far beyond them. They cannot understand things beyond their comprehension, and, therefore, are powerless to stop them. But for immortal beings whose lives span many generations are the ones who can truly see what is going on..." she paused and turned. "...such as Mazoku, like _you_, Xellos..."

"Wh-what?" Jetta choked.

Xellos' eyes opened in surprise. "Why, Lady Marielle, I had no idea that you'd already figured me out."

"Figured you out? I have always known your true nature, Mister Xellos." Marielle replied disdainfully.

"And yet you treated me as though you did not know this."

"Would it have been beneficial for me to reveal this to you from the start? I knew from the moment I first laid eyes on you exactly what you were." Marielle seemed to be getting slightly irritated. Zelgadis, Amelia, and Naga took a step back anxiously, fearing a potential fight between the two.

"Well, I suppose you must trust me enough to keep me in your employment, then."

"Of course I do. My experiment is exactly what the Mazoku race wants, is it not?"

"Wh-wh-what?" Jetta suddenly burst into the conversation, looking disturbed by the information. "What are you talking about? This makes no sense? What do you mean, the experiment is what the Mazoku want?"

Marielle just frowned and waved her away. "Jetta, darling, be a dear and do not speak unless you are spoken to."

"B-but Marielle, I don't understand what is-"

"I said QUIET, Jetta!"

Whimpering and pulling away from her sister, Jetta took a step back, placing a hand on the railing of the terrace to steady herself. "Th-this cannot be... this cannot be..."

"It might behove you to be a bit nicer to your sister, Lady Marielle." Xellos suggested politely.

Marielle raised an eyebrow. "Why? What good would that do me?"

"Well, it's only fair." Xellos shrugged. "I mean, you do know so much that she doesn't know, it might be better if you-"

"It's not possible!" Jetta interrupted loudly in desperation. "It can't be! It's not possible! It's just not-"

"Jetta, you talk too much." Marielle waved her hand in her sister's direction, shooting a beam of energy that knocked the young woman off-balance. She toppled over the side of the terrace, falling with a scream.

Amelia lunged toward the railing, managing to catch Jetta's wrist, but it slipped out of her hand. "MISS JETTA!"

No one heard her hit the ground, though, as Xellos promptly teleported away, and then reappeared again with an unconscious Jetta in his arms.

"Lady Marielle, what in the world were you thinking?" he scolded. "You know that this young woman is the linchpin of our experiment. If she were to die, all our work would be for naught."

Marielle didn't even seem remorseful. "_Our _experiment, Mister Xellos? I believe you meant _my _experiment. I know what I am doing."

The tone of the girl's voice made it clear that she was done joking around. Amelia took a step back, grabbing onto Zelgadis' arm. Naga was blown away. "...things just got real around here..." she breathed.

"Oh, yes, of course. My mistake." Xellos apologised, a hint of sarcasm playing in his words. "Seeing as though you nearly_ killed_ our most important subject just now, I trust _completely _that you know what you are doing."

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me, Mister Xellos?"

"A fight? With _you_? I wouldn't dare! Think of the insubordination, Lady Marielle!" Xellos' shock was obviously feigned, but it was still apparent that he was serious.

"Insubordination? _Insubordination_?" Marielle raised an eyebrow. "For you to disobey_ Zelas_ would be insubordination. To disobey _me_... well..."

"Ah, yes. Of course. Perhaps the better word would be 'blasphemy,' milady." Xellos conceded.

"You do _not _want to fight with me, Xellos."

"I wasn't trying to pick a fight with you."

"Keep making smart remarks like that, and you will be."

"Smart remarks? I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"_Mister Xellos..._" Marielle's voice was serious, but she suddenly turned back to the others, with her polite countenance on once more. "We have completely forgotten about our guests! Come now, what were the three of you doing in this back room?"

"_Four _of us." Naga corrected, holding up Pokota. "We were just... uh... well..."

"We were trying to get Amelia and Pokota out of here." Zelgadis spoke bluntly. "Haven't you already done _enough _with them? Why won't you let them go?"

"Hah... you silly, _silly_ people know nothing." Marielle scoffed. "Shall I teach them a lesson, sister dearest?" The girl shot a glance back at Xellos and Jetta, and realised that her sister was still unconscious. "Ah... right. Perhaps I ought to stop pretending that I listen to what she says."

"Well, I think perhaps you should give them what they want." Xellos suggested.

Marielle rolled her eyes. "I do not think so. Remember- I do not take orders from you, Mister Xellos. _You _take orders from _me_."

"That's nice and everything, but I want a reason! You can't just take people from us without explaining what you're doing with them!" Zelgadis snarled. "I've had enough of this! I'm through playing around, you little brat!"

"Zelgadis..." Amelia protested.

"Fine, then." Marielle sighed irritatedly. "You all want an explanation? Then I shall give you an explanation." She stepped forward and motioned toward the stars once again. "Do you see this world around you? Take a good, long look at it. You see... I _want_ this world. And to get it, I require something important; something important that you all have, but I do not. Before you call me underhanded, let me tell you something else- this thing that I seek, I could easily steal from any one of you. But I do not want to be a thief. It is so much more advantageous to my goal if I can construct my own. It is a matter of great importance- something someone once told me about..." she sent a glance at Xellos. "...free will. Should I obtain this free will and the capacity to fully use it, I shall be unstoppable." She grinned maliciously at the group. "What makes the lot of you think that you could possibly stop the inevitable?"

Zelgadis was confused by all of the information, but not so much that he couldn't give a sharp comeback.

"Maybe we can stop it before it happens!" he growled, drawing his sword. "_ASTRAL VINE!_"

"Amelia! Take Pokota! I'm fighting too!" Naga shoved the stuffed animal into Amelia's arms and assumed her 'Justice-speech' pose. "Now it's on, you little evil mastermind! You must understand that Justice will always triumph over evil, and that goodness will ultimately win over every dark and terrible thing in this world! Prepare yourself for the fight of your life, for allies of Justice will never back down! FREEZE ARROW!"

Marielle held up her hand, and the Freeze Arrows simply glanced off an invisible barrier. "...weak." the girl murmured.

Zelgadis lunged at her, striking with his enchanted sword, but he only met the same invisible barrier, and was unable to even make a dent in it. He struck again and again, trying to wear down the barrier, but Marielle only seemed amused.

"Such frustration you have, young man... I have not seen determination such as this in a very long time. You really _are_ Rezo's boy after all."

Zelgadis stopped abruptly. "How do you know my great-grandfather?" he growled.

"My sister knew him in passing. I never met him, but I do know a great deal about who he was and what he did. My sister used his design for the jars that she created- are they not lovely?"

"Those jars!" Naga gasped. "Those are the things holding your experiments to the mansion, aren't they?"

"Not just a single jar, but a network of jars, for insurance purposes."

Even Zelgadis was confused by this point. "But that doesn't even make sense."

"Of course it does." Marielle chuckled. "To someone who sees the big picture, that is. You people are so simple."

"Hold on; I have a question." Amelia stepped forward. "If you are referring to your sister as an experiment, then is her soul attached to a jar as well?"

Marielle seemed bemused by this question. "Well, now... that is not something that I would easily tell you, now is it?"

"So you have _her _strapped to this mansion too? How cruel! Your own sister!" Naga exclaimed.

"Oh, come off it! You abandoned your family, did you not? At least I stay by my sister's side!"

Naga visibly wilted. "I... I... didn't..."

"Gracia didn't abandon us!" Amelia jumped forward, still clutching Pokota. "It's true that she went away, but she went away to discover herself- to find who she truly was so that she could one day return to her country and her family in order to serve the mission of Justice to her absolute fullest potential!"

"...Amelia..." Naga murmured.

"Amelia's right, you know." Zelgadis stepped forward, his sword clutched tightly in his hands. "And we aren't going to let you mess that up."

Marielle took a step back. "Fine, then. Your attacks are useless anyway. Try as you might, you shall never be able to get through."

"We don't have to get through. We have _this_."

The whole group whipped around quickly, to face the couple that had just appeared on the terrace.

"M-Miss Lina!" Amelia gasped.

Lina stood with a defiant stare, tightly clutching the jar that she and Gourry had found. Gourry stood at her side, his sword drawn and ready to defend against an oncoming attack.

"Whose jar is that?" Naga asked.

"I'm not totally sure." Lina replied. "But I think... I have a pretty good idea..."

Marielle was completely shocked. "H-H-HOW DID SHE GET THAT?"

"Well, I figure that she walked into your room and took it." Xellos offered casually.

"XELLOS, WHY WERE YOU NOT PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO THAT?"

"Oh? I thought that I was to be paying attention to the experiments."

"Th-this is UNACCEPTABLE! Get that jar out of their hands RIGHT NOW, Xellos!" Marielle yelled.

"I don't know." Xellos shrugged. "My official orders really ought to come from Lord Beastmaster. Perhaps if you ordered her to order me to do that, I might consider it."

"XELLOS! Do not try my patience! Just do it!"

Xellos paused, and then shrugged. "Eh... I don't think so. I'm finished here. I'm just going to take the rest of the night off, if you don't mind." He set Jetta down by the side of the terrace's railing and began to leave.

"Mister Xellos! XELLOS!" Marielle was taken aback. "G-get back here! I will not tolerate this!"

Her words fell on deaf ears, though, as the Mazoku had already teleported away. She turned around, clenching her teeth angrily. "This... was not supposed to happen..."

"Give us back our friends, and I'll give you back this jar." Lina stated firmly.

"And if I do not?"

"Then I'll break the jar right here."

"L-Lina, are you serious?" Gourry choked. "Y-you just talked about how dangerous it would be if the jar really does contain-"

Lina stepped on his foot. "Shut up, Gourry. Leave the negotiations to me."

"Miss Lina, if you really are aware of what is inside that jar, then I doubt that you would actually have the nerve to break it." Marielle countered.

"Oh, trust me, I don't want to have to break this jar any more than you want me to." Lina assured her. "But... I'm a girl who's just had two of her closest friends kidnapped and horribly experimented on. I'm not exactly in my right mind at the moment. I'm just crazy enough to actually do it."

Marielle seemed to waver unsteadily for a moment. "...you _wouldn't_..." she finally murmured, glaring at Lina.

"Try me." Lina held up the jar threateningly.

"Alright! Alright! Alright!" Marielle waved her hands frantically. "Take your stupid friends! I was nearly finished with them, in any case! I have so many more important things to attend to!"

Lina paused for a moment. "R-really?"

"YES! Now give me the jar!"Marielle pleaded.

"Take the spell off of our friends first. Then we'll give you the jar."

Marielle sighed in exasperation. "Fine, fine..." she snapped her fingers dejectedly.

Amelia staggered backwards for a moment and then fell unconscious. Zelgadis dropped his sword and lunged forward to catch her. "Amelia! What did you do to her?"

"I removed the spell." Marielle frowned indignantly. "She will awaken soon, and may now safely leave the mansion."

Lina stepped forward and leaned down to hand Marielle the jar. "As promised... your jar." she murmured.

Marielle just scowled angrily. "Now get out of my sight! All of you!"

"I can escort them out, if you'd like." Xellos had appeared again, volunteering himself pleasantly.

"Always wanting to be helpful, aren't you Xellos?" Lina sighed.

"Away with them!" Marielle ordered. "Do not ever return to this mansion!" She paused and pointed to the purple-haired Mazoku. "That goes for you too, Xellos. I am through with you. I no longer consider you my subordinate. Leave this place and never return."

"Oh dear, Lord Beastmaster isn't going to be happy with that." Xellos sighed in mock disappointment. "Oh well! Goodbye for now!"

And with that, he disappeared from the mansion, with Lina and her friends in tow.

* * *

><p>(AN: Marielle is so very evil… fun to write, but evil. Was I being a little too obvious with foreshadowing? I wonder… Agh, foreshadowing… I love it too much!)


	25. Enigmas?

For some reason, this redundant little top part seems to be the hardest part of the story to write… I ought to just stick to the usual disclaimer. I don't own anything regarding Slayers- I'm just a crazy fan, writing and writing this fictional story into the ground. Goodness, I do keep going in circles… please enjoy, though!

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><p><strong>25- Enigmas? The final mysteries need solving…<strong>

Lina opened her eyes and blinked in confusion.

"We're… we're… back at the house?"

"Well, I figured that this is where you'd want to go." Xellos offered with a shrug.

"How did you know we were staying here?" Zelgadis demanded.

Xellos just winked. "Call it a 'lucky guess."

"In other words, that's a secret, right?"

"Oh, you do know me so well!"

Lina jumped up, waving her arms to try and draw attention. "Wait, wait! I still am not sure exactly what's going on! Did Marielle just fire you for taking our side, Xellos?" Lina asked.

"Well, technically, she fired me for much more reason than that- something that's going to be very unpleasant to have to explain to Lord Beastmaster…" Xellos replied.

"So you screwed up your mission big time, huh Xellos?"

"Not necessarily, Miss Lina. There's far more to it than that." Xellos took a step back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better be going-"

"Wait! Xellos! Where do you think you're going?"

Xellos stopped and sighed, crossing his arms. "Zelgadis, for someone who hates me so much, you always seem to be unhappy whenever I leave."

"That's because you leave us with more questions than we had before! What was with that huge exchange between you and Marielle? What in the world is she anyway?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't divulge any more information than I have already. You already know too much." Xellos paused. "Or… to be more precise, you know _just _enough. Farewell, then, for now! I'm sure that I'll see you all again very soon!"

The group stared as Xellos disappeared.

"What in the world does it mean, that we know… 'just enough?" Lina murmured. "I don't get it…"

"I think… perhaps he's encouraging us to do a little bit more digging." Zelgadis offered.

"Digging?"

"Trying to find out everything we can. He's saying that the information we have has piqued our interest, and now we won't stop until we can figure everything out- which is what he seems to want."

"He _is _awfully good at giving us clues and asking us to fill in the bigger picture." Lina nodded.

"Huh? What bigger picture...?"

"Pokota!" Naga gasped with a smile. "You're awake! Oh, I was so worried!"

Pokota still wasn't totally awake, and it took him a moment to examine his surroundings. When he realised that he didn't know where they were, he wasn't exactly happy about it.

"N-Naga, you idiot! What did you do? You could have killed me, for goodness' sake!"

Naga whimpered. "B-but Pokota buddy... I saved you..."

"For once, Naga's right, Pokota. Give her a break." Zelgadis scolded.

"What do you mean by 'for once?" Naga demanded.

"Mister Pokota! You're okay!" Amelia seemed to have snapped to attention as soon as she'd opened her eyes.

"A-Amelia? Zelgadis? And... Lina and Gourry?" Pokota was beyond confused. "Where in the world are we? Why are you all here? What's Naga doing with that bird?"

The raven gave a cry and stretched its wings."

"You're _not_ in the mansion anymore- all thanks to Gourry and me." Lina declared proudly.

"I think the rest of us could have managed without your blackmail, Lina." Zelgadis added.

"No, you couldn't. Not easily, anyhow." Lina responded curtly. "But enough about that. Will someone please tell me what happened between Xellos and Marielle? Why did she fire him? And what was wrong with her sister?"

"Well, it seems as though Marielle was only pretending to be in the dark about Xellos being a Mazoku. Jetta seemed really surprised about it, though. Marielle said that she'd known about it all along, while Jetta was just screaming 'it's not possible' over and over... Marielle got mad at her and pushed her off the balcony with magic. Amelia tried to save her, but it took Xellos to actually catch her. Then he scolded Marielle, saying something about their 'most important subject' or something..."

"Their _what_?" Lina gasped. "Their subject?"

"That's what they said, alright." Naga gave a nod.

"Lina, what's the matter?" Gourry asked.

"You idiot! _You_ of all people should know! This goes against what we'd discussed!"

Gourry blinked for a moment. "...which was...?"

Lina slapped her forehead in exasperation. "About Marielle being a doppelganger!"

"A what?" Naga asked.

"You mean like a copy?" Pokota asked.

"Precisely. Gourry and I had entertained the idea that perhaps Marielle was nothing but Jetta's copy. You see, while we were at the party, we'd stepped out on the balcony to get a bit of fresh air, and we met Marielle's sister... n-not Jetta, but the one in the photo- the one that died of smallpox eleven years ago."

"Wait; if she died, then how did you-"

"It was her ghost." Gourry said. "She looked so much like Marielle that Lina tried to grab her, and ended up passing right through her."

Amelia shuddered. "How horrifying."

"_She_ was horrified." Lina replied. "She was in so much pain because of what her sister is doing..."

"I wish I could have helped her to move on." Amelia sighed.

"I really don't think that she can move on until this whole mess with Marielle is resolved." Lina shrugged. "And... well... Gourry and I kind of promised her that we would do that."

"So, that means that, even though Amelia and I have gotten out of the mansion, it isn't over yet." Pokota added.

"What a pain." Naga sighed, running her hand through her hair in exasperation.

"Well, I don't think we would have stopped at this point anyway." Zelgadis pointed out. "Xellos made sure of that. He gave us just enough information to keep us involved. He knows that we won't back down now; not when we're this close."

Lina paused. "But Zel... you... will you be able to..."

"Amelia knows of a certain book, that she thinks is in the library here at this house, which can stabilize an object that is being torn apart by entropic forces. If she can find it, then maybe..."

Amelia grasped his hand tightly. "No 'maybes.' We _will_ find it." she stated. "I know we will."

"I wish I had your confidence..." Zelgadis sighed.

"I wish I had her enthusiasm. I'm tired." Naga yawned. "Can we go to sleep and discuss this in the morning?"

"Well, I, for one, know that I won't be able to get any sleep until I know what we're going to be doing tomorrow." Lina pointed out. "So you can go to bed, but I'm staying up and making some plans."

"I think plans would be good for all of us." Amelia nodded.

"I can make everyone some coffee, and we can talk things over in the library." Zelgadis offered.

"Coffee sounds quite nice right about now..." Naga yawned again.

"Besides," Lina sighed. "we've_ got_ to figure out some sort of plan."

* * *

><p>Lina gripped the coffee mug in her hands anxiously. Zelgadis finished handing them out to everyone, and Naga took a big gulp of hers. "Wow, Zelgadis! This is really good! You make coffee like a pro!"<p>

"I had a friend who taught me well." Zelgadis chuckled, looking somewhat happy for the first time in a while.

"Well, thanks to your friend, we can be awake enough to figure out what we're doing." Lina commented. "I guess we've got no choice at this point but to go back to Marielle's mansion."

"Not recklessly, though." Zelgadis added. "We need to do what you mentioned before- the digging part."

"Ah, right." Lina nodded.

"I can help. I'm pretty handy with a shovel." Gourry volunteered.

Lina laughed. "Nice try, Gourry, but we're being serious here. Take your jokes somewhere else."

Gourry just smiled, happy that Lina had correctly interpreted it as a joke. "Well, then what do you think we should do?"

"...I don't know..."

"Well, I need to find that book." Amelia said, setting her mug aside and walking over to a bookshelf.

"Are you just going to search blindly? This is a big library." Lina asked.

"I have some idea of where it might be- I'll check in the obvious locations first." Amelia replied. "You guys keep talking."

"Fine, fine..."

"Naga, perhaps it's a good thing that you rescued that raven after all..." Zelgadis murmured thoughtfully.

"So you're finally accepting him as a valuable member of the group?" Naga seemed excited as she stroked the bird's feathers.

"Well, if he can give us information about Marielle..."

"The bird can't even talk." Pokota spat. "He's not going to help us."

"Now is not the time to vent your jealously, Pokota." Lina chided.

"Jealously?" Pokota jumped up and perched on Lina's head. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, now that Naga is fawning all over him and not you-"

"Th-that has nothing to do with anything!" Pokota stammered. "Focus, Lina! You're the one who needs to quit cracking jokes with your boyfriend!"

Lina grabbed Pokota by the ears. "He is not my boyfriend, he is my _fiancé_, and his jokes have nothing to do with this!"

"Fiancé?" Amelia perked up from across the room. "When was this decided?"

"Oh, here and there..." Lina's voice trailed off.

"Come to think of it, were you wearing that ring before you went to the party?" Naga asked, leaning over to get a better look at Lina's hand. "I don't remember that."

"Um... no. Gourry got it at the market the other day, and he gave it to me at the party." she admitted.

"I thought it would look nice on her." Gourry smiled brightly.

"So, when you say he gave it to you at the party, do you mean that he just gave it to you, or that he formally gave it to you, on one knee and everything?" Naga asked curiously.

"Uh... well..." Lina stammered. "Formally... You see, we were faced with some serious issues that we'd just discovered, and it was pretty heavy stuff... so the tension had to be broken somehow."

"But with a marriage proposal?" Zelgadis asked.

"Gourry _is_ one-of-a-kind." Lina chuckled slightly.

"She told me to surprise her." Gourry added. "And it certainly did, especially after all that talk of Shabranigdo-whatever-he's-called.

The room suddenly went quiet.

"Sh-Shabranigdo...?" Pokota stammered.

"Oh... yeah... we probably should have mentioned that." Lina chuckled nervously. "You see, we found that jar, and judging by all the clues we found, we have a hunch of what might be contained in it."

"But you're not saying that it might be-"

"Shabranigdo? ...maybe..." Lina sighed.

"What brought you to this conclusion?" Zelgadis asked.

"Well, first of all, do remember that little exchange we had with Xellos two weeks ago? He asked us over and over to think about what the original Hellmaster's Jar did. You see, not only did it contain the should of Rezo, but it was also successful in containing the soul of the Demon Lord. Plus..." Lina's voice trailed off. "...I opened the jar, and had a very... adverse reaction to it."

"An adverse reaction?" Zelgadis asked. "What sort of adverse reaction?"

"I... don't want to talk about it..."

"That's silly! You _have_ to tell us, otherwise we might never get things figured out, and-"

"She SAID that she didn't want to talk about it, Naga!" The whole group stared for a moment, surprised by Gourry's outburst. The swordsman shrank back slightly, lowering his voice. "...and, quite frankly, I don't want to talk about it either..."

"It was pretty distinct, anyway." Lina eventually said. "And, the thing is, I'm really not sure what to make of it. If it really is some portion of Shabranigdo's power sealed within the jar, then what is Marielle using it for, and why? Where in the world might she have gotten it?"

"From Rezo, perhaps?" Zelgadis ventured. "She did mention that Rezo and Jetta had met once, and that Jetta was the one who had designed the replica jars."

"Miss Marielle mentioned that she had never met Rezo herself. Do you think that she is using Jetta for her knowledge, then?"

"Wait, Marielle said what?" Lina asked. "That's not possible! Didn't the old man in Belz say that Rezo was the one to cure the remaining twin of smallpox? Marielle had to have met Rezo in that case!"

"Unless Marielle isn't the twin from the story..." Zelgadis mused, thinking over the implications of what he'd just said.

"But she looks exactly like the girls in the picture..." Naga pointed out.

"So does Jetta- just older." Lina added. "I figure that, if they were around 9 or so when that picture was taken, and it was 11 years ago, then the surviving twin ought to be around 20 or so... which Jetta looks to be."

"So you think _she_ is the one twin who survived?" Zelgadis asked.

"But then what's up with Marielle?" Naga asked. "She must have some sort of connection to the twins."

"I'm a little lost..." Amelia spoke up.

"Here," Lina began, pulling out the picture of the twins that they had been given. "we were given this by a man who used to work for the Arcarti family. He said that they were twins, and one died of smallpox about 11 years ago. The other ran away from home, and..."

"So have we established which of them is the original twin?" Zelgadis asked.

"I think it must be Jetta. Gourry and I found a room with a bunch of family portraits, and there was no sign of an older sister anywhere. The family had an older boy, the twins, and then a younger boy." Lina replied.

"So where does Miss Marielle come in?" Amelia spoke up.

Lina gave a sigh. "Well, that's the question we have to ask ourselves."

There was a long moment of silence.

"Honestly..." Zelgadis began, "I don't really see what we're supposed to do besides fighting Marielle and putting a stop to her experiments."

"Do we really want to fight against someone we don't really understand?" Lina asked. "We still don't truly know what we're up against."

"And how are we supposed to figure it out?" Zelgadis replied. "I don't have the time to be going on a long information search..."

"Not without _this_, you mean?" Amelia piped up, holding up a book triumphantly.

Zelgadis was on his feet in a split second. "Wh-what? You found it?"

"I told you it was here." Amelia smiled brightly. "Now there's nothing to worry about!"

"...unless the spell doesn't work." Zelgadis finished.

"Or we all die fighting Marielle." Lina added.

"You're not allowed to do that." Gourry scolded. "You can't die on me before we get married."

Lina chuckled. "Don't worry about that, Gourry. Besides, Amelia is a priestess, so she could marry us on the battlefield if worst comes to worst, right?"

"...you know, I could!" Amelia laughed in response.

"Of course! Heck, she could probably marry us _here_, if we wanted! Haha!"

It took Lina a moment to realise that she was the only one laughing.

"...what?"

"That's... actually not a half-bad idea..." Zelgadis murmured.

"We could have the ceremony in the rose garden!" Amelia chimed. "The bushes are in bloom this time of year."

"We could get a cake from that baker you're so friendly with." Naga added. "We'll make a party of it- just us."

"Unless you'd rather have your relatives come." Pokota added. "If so, then maybe-"

"No!"

Heads turned. It was Gourry's second outburst of the night; usually he was so quiet. "...I mean, uh... I'd rather have it with you guys... What do you think, Lina?"

"Huh...?" Lina blinked in confusion. "Y-you guys were serious? I was joking about that."

"Really? I think it might be fun." Pokota replied. "I never thought that I'd see _you_ get married, flatty."

"Hey, now!" Lina growled. "Watch it!"

"Miss Lina, do you really want to go through with this?" Amelia asked. "I think it would be lovely, but if you don't think so..."

Lina wasn't so sure. She knew exactly what response she'd get, but she looked to Gourry to see what he thought. He stared at her with that pleading look that he'd given her earlier that night when he'd given her the ring. She sighed in defeat.

"Oh, why not? We don't have anything better to do tomorrow..."

It was a very casual answer, but it seemed to light up the room. Gourry was suddenly excited, along with Amelia, Naga, and Pokota. Even Zelgadis seemed to be slightly less serious and melancholy than he had been.

"We can have the ceremony right around sunset- that's when the garden will be the most beautiful!" Amelia exclaimed.

"When does the sun set now? Around 8:00 or so?" Lina asked.

"Yeah... I think. Maybe a little later- it's been at least a month after the summer solstice, and considering the latitude..." Zelgadis nodded.

"Then 7:30 is when we should start it." Naga declared. "Oh, this is so exciting! Can I be the maid of honour?"

"Actually, I'd like Amelia for that." Lina admitted.

"But she's the priestess!" Naga whined. "You can't be both the priestess _and _the maid of honour!"

"Says who?" Pokota asked.

"I don't think we really need to worry about that." Zelgadis replied. "Don't get so worked up."

"Yes; there are lots of other things that we need to worry about tomorrow." Lina nodded. "Like this spell that Amelia has been talking about."

"Tomorrow? Oh, I was going to get started on that tonight-" Amelia began, but Zelgadis interrupted.

"No, Amelia. It's far too late at night, and you've just now managed to get out of that prison of a mansion. Get some rest- it's not like I'm going to die anytime tonight…" his voice trailed off. "…hopefully…"

No one happened to hear the last bit, though.

Naga stepped forward. "He's right, Amelia. Get some rest. You wouldn't want to accidentally misfire the spell or something. Let's go to bed- our room is just the same as It was when we were kids! It'll be just like old times!"

Amelia gave a tired smile. "That sounds nice."

"I could use some sleep, too." Lina yawned. "What do you say, Gourry?" …Gourry?"

…the swordsman was already fast asleep on the couch.

"He's such an idiot…" Lina sighed with a bemused smile.

"I've really missed hanging around with you guys." Pokota laughed.

Lina grabbed a blanket that was lying over the top of one of the armchairs, and draped it over her sleeping companion. "I hope you sleep well on the couch, Gourry." she chuckled, giving him a kiss on the forehead and turning back around.

"Miss Lina, you're just going to leave him there?" Amelia asked.

Lina shrugged. "He'll probably wake up in a few hours and be rather confused, so that will be suitable punishment for falling asleep on us."

"That's a little harsh for the man you're about to marry, don't you think?" Pokota scolded.

"Lina grabbed him by the ears. "On the contrary, my little animal." she began. "I'm training him. If he's going to live with me for the rest of forever, then he needs some preparation."

"No amount of preparation could ready anyone for a curse like that." Pokota scoffed.

"Be quiet, you!" Lina tossed Pokota across the room and into a bookshelf. Naga gasped.

"POKOTA!"

"Yep…" Zelgadis sighed. "Things are getting back to normal around here… right before they get crazy again..."

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><p>(Who else votes for a funny, totally non-sappy LinaGourry wedding scene? *raises hand* The question is, though, can I trust myself to write it well enough? Ah... I have no self-confidence in that regard...)


	26. To Do List

Okay then~! As usual, I don't own anything pertaining to Slayers, I'm just a fan having some fun writing fiction! Do enjoy it!

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><p><strong>26- To-Do List; with plenty of time to kill<strong>

Lina yawned as she walked down the stairs, wondering what she was planning to do today. It felt so oddly like a lazy morning with nothing to do and nowhere to go. She tried to dispel the lazy feeling with the thoughts of their plans for the day.

_Let's see… what's on the itinerary for today? Eat breakfast… do some research on a demonic little girl who, theoretically, shouldn't exist… help my friend make sure that he doesn't get killed by chaotic forces that are ripping him apart, and… get married, apparently. I guess that's reasonable._

Lina momentarily wondered if she might be going insane.

She began to round the corner to the kitchen, and almost ran into Gourry.

"G-Gourry!" she gasped. "You're up early! How long have you been awake?"

Gourry shrugged. "Oh, for a while now. I woke up on the couch in the library, so I started looking at picture books. See?" He held up a rather large book.

Lina grabbed the book and examined it. "This is… '_Illustrated Guide to Botany, vol. 7_?' This is intelligent reading, Gourry! I'm impressed!" She smiled up at him and handed him the book.

"Oh, that?" Gourry asked. "I was just looking at the pretty pictures. See? He opened up to a page with a nice flower and tree, accompanied by scientific labelling on the bottom.

Lina sighed. "Well, I apologise for setting my expectations too high."

"I'm sorry." Gourry murmured sheepishly.

Lina chuckled. "Don't apologise- I'm just kidding. Say, did you sleep well on the couch?"

" No, not really… but it doesn't matter. I'm not tired."

"Well, I'm glad one of us isn't…" Lina replied with a yawn, moving to sit down on the couch in the living room.

Gourry sat down beside her, nodding in agreement. "Besides, you probably won't need me today anyway, so I could just take a nap later if I was tired."

Lina straightened up in surprise. "What do you mean, we won't need you?"

"Well… I just thought… er, I assumed… you'd be doing smart stuff."

" You're smart."

Gourry gave her a stare as if she'd gone crazy. Lina gave him an almost identical stare back.

"What's with the look?"

Gourry tilted his head in innocent confusion "Have you finally lost it? I'm an _idiot_."

Raising an eyebrow, Lina replied "No, you're not. You _can _be an idiot sometimes- like now, for instance. When you want to be smart, you can be smart; there's no denying that. What makes you think we won't need your help with anything today?"

Gourry gave a little smile, but didn't seem to want to answer the question. "Uh, is anyone else awake?"

Lina sent a glance up the staircase. "Not that I know of. I think-"

Lina's sentence was cut off as the sound of a sharp scream percolated downstairs from the upper level of the house.

Gourry stood up, suddenly alert. "What?"

" That sounded like Amelia!" Lina added.

The pair exchanged a panicked glance.

The sound of their frantic footsteps ascending the stairs nearly drowned out their collective scream.

" Zelgadis!"

* * *

><p>Lina and Gourry rushed up the stairs and flew around the corner without looking ahead of them, almost running directly into one of their friends.<p>

"Goodness, you two! Watch where you're going!" Zelgadis exclaimed, taking a step back.

Lina blinked in surprise. "Z-Zel! You're alright! We were worried about you!"

"Me? Amelia was the one who screamed!"

" Yeah, but we thought..." Lina's voice trailed off, and she turned back around to the bedroom that Amelia and Naga were sharing. Amelia peeked her head out of the door sheepishly.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to scream."

" Are you alright, though?" Zelgadis asked.

Amelia sighed. "Yes, I just…"

Naga interrupted loudly, still half-asleep. "Don't worry Amelia! Whatever scared you is no match for the power of Justice!"

"Naga, that has nothing to do with anything! What happened, Amelia?" Lina snapped.

" I just… I was half-asleep, and I forgot where I was…" Amelia stammered. "I was afraid that Miss Marielle had done something horrible, and…"

"It's alright- you're safe. I understand your fear, but don't scream, alright?" Zelgadis gave a sigh.

"You scared us half to death, you know!" Lina added.

"…sorry…" Amelia murmured.

"It doesn't matter! I want breakfast!" Naga exclaimed.

Lina directed a glare at her. "Are you always this irritating in the mornings?"

"Irritating? Why, not in the slightest!" Naga replied haughtily. "I'm just being cheerful-everyone needs some cheer during stressful situations like this, right? OHOHOHOHOHO~!"

"That laugh is _not _what I want to hear first thing in the morning." Pokota groaned, approaching the group and landing on Lina's head.

"You're not the only one." Lina agreed. "Can we just get some breakfast in our stomachs and sit down to see if we can make a dent in our massive to-do list today?"

"To-do list? What are we doing?" Gourry asked.

"Well, first things first, there's this complicated spell that Amelia is trying to figure out, in order to save Zel from the crazy magic that's attacking him." Lina said.

"Exactly!" Amelia exclaimed. "That is the most important thing right now, after all!"

"So what's involved in this spell anyway?" Naga asked curiously as she began down the staircase. "You haven't explained it much to us."

"It's not difficult." Amelia replied. "It's really a lot like a healing spell that I could easily pull off."

"What's the catch, though?"

Amelia looked up in surprise. "Zelgadis, what do you mean?"

"I mean, there's always some sort of catch. What is it?"

"Zel is right, this sounds way too easy." Lina nodded in agreement. "We've been stressing about this problem for so long, and now you say there's a simple spell that can fix everything? I don't trust that."

"Miss Lina, don't you think we deserve something in our lives to be easy for a change?" Amelia asked.

"Of course I think we deserve it. But will it actually happen? I think _not_."

"I kind of agree with Lina- something about this sounds fishy." Pokota murmured.

Amelia frowned, but gave a small nod. "I mean… there's no sense in getting pessimistic about it, but I see your point…" She seemed to wilt slightly, so Lina put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't look so down, Amelia. Who knows? Maybe it will work just fine. We can't make a judgement on it before we even try."

"Alright, then…" Amelia sighed. "We'll try it, and then we can decide."

* * *

><p>"So, how do we know if this spell will work?" Naga asked. It was later in the afternoon, and the group was sitting in a circle on the floor of the library, all paying attention to Amelia, who held the large book in her hands, studying the spell.<p>

"Well, we don't necessarily need a bunch of people here for this- all that is needed is the person who's casting the spell, and the person that they're casting the spell on." Amelia replied.

"But back-up is always nice, just in case things go awry." Lina added.

"Things won't go awry- this is a White Magic spell." Amelia replied.

"I know. I wasn't talking about the spell itself- I was talking about its effects on Zel." Lina replied. "I mean, who knows how his body is going to react to this sort of thing?"

"I agree." Pokota nodded. "I'm wondering if this is even safe."

"Well, I'd be a goner anyway, even if we did nothing." Zelgadis pointed out. "So why not try it?"

Lina just shrugged. "Well, how exactly does this spell work?

"It is founded on the principle of magic stating that high levels of entropy favour spontaneity." Amelia explained. "Entropy increases when objects become less organised- such as ice melting to form water. Ice is compact and solid, but water is liquid and difficult to handle without a container- so when ice melts, the entropy is increased. As such, water freezing into ice will cause a decrease in entropy. Does that make sense?"

"No." Gourry responded.

Lina groaned. "I think she was talking about the rest of us."

"It makes sense to me." Pokota nodded.

"I think I get it too!" Naga agreed. "So, if we freeze Zelgadis in a big block of ice, then-"

"NO!" Zelgadis cut her off quickly. "That's not the point of Amelia's example!"

"But she said that water freezing into ice would lower the entropy-"

"-of the water." Amelia finished quickly. "It doesn't do anything for its surroundings."

"But I heard that lower temperatures lower entropy levels." Pokota offered.

"That's true." Zelgadis murmured. His tone turned sarcastic as he continued, "So I'll just freeze to death instead of falling apart. That works too."

"I didn't mean-" Pokota began, but Lina cut him off.

"Just forget about all of that nonsense. We want to know how the spell works." she groaned.

"As far as I gather, it adds order to the chaotic elements." Zelgadis replied, looking to Amelia for a nod of approval before continuing. "When a chimera is created, the entropy that is built up by the creation of a mixture of various biological elements reaches such high levels that a great deal of magical energy is required to lower it to a safe level. If the chimera outlives its creator, then the entropy level slowly rises, as there is nothing keeping it together. But, if we can put energy into the system, it will lower the entropy levels and keep the pieces from dissociating. Got it?"

"N-" Gourry began to answer, but Lina cut him off.

"Yep, we've got it."

"So now all we need to do is test it out." Pokota said. "But Lina, Naga, and I ought to kind of stand guard to make sure that Zelgadis doesn't get hurt. This is dangerous stuff, after all."

With Lina, Naga, and Pokota watching over to make sure he spell didn't go awry, Amelia readied herself, beginning to chant to incantation slowly. Zelgadis stiffened, realising that it sounded a lot more like an attack spell than a healing incantation, and his instincts were telling him to get out of the way. But he trusted Amelia and her judgement, and stayed exactly where he was.

As the few final words passed through Amelia's lips, a glow of energy appeared, and suddenly it burst out, flooding the room and engulfing Zelgadis in the blast. Lina jumped to her feet, but stumbled against the strong current of energy.

And, as suddenly as it had appeared, the energy vanished, as though it had never been there. Lina glanced around the room and noticed that, though it had felt similar to a powerful windstorm, not a thing in the room was out of place. Everything was as neat and orderly as it had been. All eyes turned back to Zelgadis, who didn't seem any worse for wear.

"Did it work?" Gourry asked.

"I don't know. He doesn't look any different." Lina murmured.

"I don't feel any different either." the chimera replied.

"So does that mean that it _didn't _work?" Naga asked.

Amelia frowned. "It should have worked. Based on what I read, he should be stable at this point."

Zelgadis shrugged. "Well, it's not like I feel _bad_. Maybe the fact that nothing seemed to change is a good sign. Maybe that means it worked perfectly."

"…I don't know…" Lina murmured.

"Well, all we have to do is wait and see if Zelgadis has another one of those headache attack-things, and if not, then we can assume that the spell worked, right?" Gourry suggested.

"That does seem to be the only logical way to go about it." Pokota murmured.

"But what if we don't find out that it didn't work until it's too late?" Naga asked.

Everyone paused. No one wanted to answer that. Zelgadis finally cleared his throat and continued.

"…then, at least we tried our best, and no one will be left with any regrets." he murmured.

There was no reply, but everyone was certain that the others were thinking something completely different.

"Well, let's focus." Zelgadis sighed, shaking off the critical glances. "There are more pressing concerns at the moment."

"Like what?" Lina raised an eyebrow.

"...well, don't you want cake for tonight? We can't have a party without cake, can we?"

Lina stiffened. "Cake! Of course! We totally forgot about getting the cake!"

Gourry raised his hand. "I vote for a chocolate cake!"

"I think it should be a pound cake. Those are always good."

"No, pound cakes are too plain! It ought to be a triple-layer strawberry cheesecake!" Lina argued, almost drooling at the thought.

"Perhaps you ought to just go to the bakery and see what they have. If they have to bake a new cake for you, it'll be late by the time you get back. It's already mid-afternoon." Zelgadis replied. "I'll stay here. I started reading a book this morning, and it's quite good."

"I have to keep looking at that spell- as far as I can tell, it was done correctly, but I want to make certain that there were no mistakes." Amelia added. "Gracia, you can go if you want to."

"I want to go too!" Lina exclaimed. "It's my party, remember?"

"And mine." Gourry added. "But you guys can go on and pick something out. I know Lina will get something good."

Lina smirked. "Oh? In that case, I'll pick out the most disgusting, horrifying, inedible-"

"You know you have to eat it too, right?" Pokota perched himself on Lina's head.

"Then do you want to come with us?"

"Of course I do."

"Yay! Then it'll be me, Lina, Pokota, and Arran!" Naga exclaimed, whistling for the large bird. He didn't seem to recognise his new "name," but he did know to come when he was whistled for.

"Don't bring the bird." Lina groaned.

"Oh, come on! He's practically a member of the family now!"

"He is not!" Pokota groaned, but it wasn't enough to change Naga's mind.

* * *

><p>Lina ran after Naga, and Pokota followed along. "Wait up, Naga!" Lina called.<p>

"You have to be faster! C'mon!" Naga yelled, though she did pause to let Lina and Pokota catch up.

"Don't worry so much." Lina sighed. "It's barely 4 o' clock. We've got time to kill."

"Right, but then we have to get back and do your hair and make-up. That could take hours!" Naga insisted, sounding indignant that Lina hadn't thought of that.

Lina stiffened. "I'm not getting dressed up for this! It's going to be in a backyard, for goodness' sake!"

"But this is an important day!" Naga protested. "And you need to wear a lovely dress and do something nice with your hair- that beautiful, beautiful hair-"

"Naga, can you stop focusing on that? We're here for a cake, not for Lina's outfit planning." Pokota chided, landing on Lina's head. "What kind of cake do you think you want, Lina?"

"A big one." Lina responded. She thought for a moment, and added, "…and maybe it would be nice of us to get a little something for Gourry and everyone else, too."

"You're so predictable." Pokota groaned.

"Hey, I like cake! Can you blame me?" Lina gave a laugh.

"Of course not! Who doesn't like cake?" Naga laughed in return. "OHOHOHOHO~!"

Her laugh scared the raven on her shoulder, and he jumped several feet into the air, flapping his wings violently.

"Oops! I didn't mean to spook you!" Naga exclaimed, reaching for the bird. He didn't seem to want to return to her shoulder, and began to fly higher. "W-wait! Come back! Arran!" Naga squealed. "RAY WING!"

She jumped up into the air and began flying after the bird.

"N-Naga! Wait!" Lina yelled, trying to follow after her. "_Ray Wing!_"

Lina flew after Naga, trying to stop her. "Stop this, Naga!"

"But I can't let him fly away! He's my bird!"

"That thing isn't your bird, Naga! He's just a former experiment of Marielle's! What does it matter to us if he flies off?"

"He's important to me!" Naga replied.

"Why all the fuss?" Pokota called, trying to catch up to them. "What does the bird matter to you?"

"Because he's my bird~!" Naga whined. "I can't just let him run away- er, fly away." She turned back ahead of them. "Arran! Come back!"

Lina and Pokota shot each other a glance.

"Lina… what should we do about her?"

Lina frowned. "I guess… we follow."

The raven continued to fly, and Naga determinedly followed after. Lina noticed the terrain far below changing from mountainous to more flat, filled with fields of crops and scattered farmhouses. "Pokota, I don't know where this bird is going."

"Well, ravens are supposed to be really intelligent birds. It's possible that he's flying back to his original home." Pokota responded.

"Home…" Lina murmured. "You mean, the people who Marielle stole him from?"

"Could be."

"They might have some information!" Lina exclaimed. "Naga! Don't lose sight of that bird, but don't catch it either! We want to follow it!"

Naga seemed a bit confused, but agreed. "Alright, then!"

"But how far away might that be?" Lina wondered out loud as they continued. "This could take hours."

"Like you said, we have time to kill." Pokota pointed out.

"Right, right."

* * *

><p>(AN: Heh… I wish I had time to kill…)


	27. Family Reunion!

Here is chapter 27! As usual, I don't own anything related to Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Enjoy~!

* * *

><p><strong>27- Family Reunion! A gathering of information…<strong>

Naga landed on the grass beside the large raven, staring at her surroundings in awe. It was a large garden, and everything around seemed to be in bloom. "What is this place…?" she murmured.

"It's some sort of garden." Lina added as she came to a landing beside them, joined by Pokota.

"It looks nice."

"You there! What do you think you are doing? This is private property!"

"…and he _doesn't _look so nice."

A boy, who looked to be no more than 16 years old, was running their direction, waving at them. "Where did you come from? What are you doing here?"

"W-we're just here because we were following this bird, and-" Naga stammered, though, as he got closer and heard what she had to say, the boy quickly seemed to become less aggressive. He stopped abruptly and stared, not at the people who had just landed in his garden, but at the bird.

"…Edwin?" he murmured. The raven seemed to perk up at the mention of the name, and flew over to the boy, perching on his arm. "Oh, Edwin! Where in the world have you been? Lucas and I have been so worried!"

Lina couldn't help but notice that the boy had a very familiar accent, and looked slightly familiar, though she'd never seen him before. It was a look, however, that she couldn't mistake- that curly, lavender hair, and those pale blue eyes… "Excuse me, sir. I apologise for our intrusion onto your property… you wouldn't happen to be a Mister Arcarti, would you?"

The boy looked up in surprise. "And who are you, Miss? I have never seen you before. How do you know my name?"

Bingo. He was exactly who she thought he was.

Lina shook her head. "No, no- you see… I'm, uh, acquainted with your sister, and you remind me so much of her that I just assumed."

The boy gasped. "M-my sister?"

"Yeah… Jetta." Lina murmured in reply. She was going out on a limb, but she figured that it was her best bet, considering what they had figured out.

The young man seemed completely flabbergasted. "Jetta… oh, Jetta… my big sister…" He looked up at them, his pale blue eyes sparkling brightly. "I am terribly sorry that I yelled at you before. Please, will you not come inside?"

Lina, Naga, and Pokota exchanged a glance, and Lina stepped forward. "That's so kind of you. I don't want to impose or anything-"

"No, please!" the boy exclaimed. "My name is Kasper, by the way. My brother Lucas and I would be most delighted to converse with you, especially if you are able to speak with us about Jetta. We have not heard from her in eleven years."

"Eleven years…" Lina murmured, having heard that time amount before. "We'd be happy to talk with you about your sister… thank you."

"Lina, are you sure about this?" Pokota whispered into her ear.

"Well, what choice do we have? This is exactly the kind of information source we've been waiting for! We can't let it go to waste!"

* * *

><p>Lucas Michael Stefan Vincent Arcarti was a polished young man, with a trimmed beard and moustache that made him look older than his 24 years as well as giving him a slightly homely impression. Lina had to admit, he certainly did look a great deal like the boy she and Gourry had seen in the paintings that they had found in Marielle's mansion the previous night.<p>

His invitation to join him and his brother at a small table in the garden was eagerly accepted once Lina noticed that he had provided snacks.

Still, her curiosity had been piqued, and she reminded herself that she was here for information, not food.

"Pardon me for being abrupt, but you say that you are friends of Jetta? How in the world did you meet her?"

"It was, uh, through a friend, actually." Lina replied. "Naga used to work for her, and her sister and Pokota became acquainted with her as well. I was the last to get to know her, actually."

"Is she doing well?"

"Yes, quite well, actually." Lina replied with a smile. _'Besides nearly being pushed to her death off of a balcony by her "sister" last night and being knocked unconscious by a Mazoku…'_

"That is a relief…" Lucas sighed. "I was worried about her. She seemed so troubled after our sister Marielle passed away, and-"

"I'm sorry, your sister _Marielle_?" Lina interrupted, stiffening at the mention of the name.

"We haven't heard the story behind her." Pokota added. "Could you possibly elaborate for us?"

"Jetta never cared to mention this to us before." Naga added.

Kasper looked puzzled. "That is odd. I was quite young at the time, but it always seemed to me as though Marielle and Jetta were inseparable. I would have imagined that she would mention her more."

"They were twins, you see." Lucas added. "Marielle was four minutes older than Jetta, but they acted as equals to each other. They loved one another with a bond that was practically inhuman. It was almost as though they were truly one person at heart. Our grandmother often said that identical twins are two people who share a soul, making the bond between them unbreakable. I often wondered if it were true, as Marielle and Jetta could never be too far away from each other without becoming irritable, or ill, even. They stayed together right up until the day that Marielle died."

"Smallpox, right?" Lina asked.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Erm… a friend of Jetta's mentioned that she had a sister who died of smallpox, though we never inquired more about the sister from Jetta. I had no idea that they were so close."

"Yes. Even as infants they could not sleep in separate cradles. They had to be together. Our parents often wondered whether there was something wrong with them." Lucas nodded.

"She must have been devastated when Marielle died, then." Pokota murmured.

"Quite."

"Well, Marielle had been sick." Naga offered. "So she at least could have anticipated it.  
>"That actually was not the case." Lucas shook his head. "You see, it was a priest by the name of Rezo who healed Jetta. To be honest, up to the end, it looked as though they were both improving under the aid of the Red Priest. But then, suddenly, Jetta was healed and Marielle was dead. Just like that, with no warning. Jetta was horribly devastated, and ran away, never to return. Our parents were already slightly ill as well, and when they lost both of their precious daughters in such a short amount of time, it was too much for them. When they died, I was the sole heir to the family fortune and estate… I was only thirteen at the time, and poor Kasper was only five. We left Belz and came to live here on the border of Seyruun and Ralteague, to the north of Seyruun city. It became our refuge, and has been ever since."<p>

Lina frowned, mulling it over. She wondered if there might have been some foul play at work in the sudden death of the girl. "You don't suppose…" she began, realising that she had to breach the subject delicately. "…that Marielle was killed by the Red Priest, do you?"

"Oh, heavens no! He would never do such a thing! He was a kind and generous man!" Lucas exclaimed.

Pokota snorted indignantly, but Lina brushed him aside. "So, just what did Rezo do after Marielle died?"

"He did something… odd." Lucas replied. "And to this day I cannot account for the reasoning behind it. But, no matter the reason, he presented my mother and father with a strange jar."

"Let me guess- it was a dark-blue clay jar, with a red gem and insignia on one side, right?" Lina spoke.

"H-how did you know that?" Kasper gasped.

"Jetta still has the jar." Lina explained.

"She does? Has she opened it?" Kasper looked somewhat startled.

"What do you mean?" Naga asked.

"When the Red Priest gave my parents the jar, he said that it needed to be given to Jetta, and that she should keep it with her at all times." Lucas explained. "But he told them that she should never open it, or else she would die."

Lina inhaled sharply, and there was a long silence. "…is that true?" Pokota asked.

"I am not truly sure. I never opened it." the man gave a shrug.

"I did."

Everyone turned to Lina and stared for a moment.

"…I take it that you did not die?" Kasper murmured. "…considering the fact that you are sitting here, and everything…"

"I might have, if I'd been alone." Lina sighed. "But my fiancé was there, and he managed to close the jar before the situation got too bad."

"Was there evidence that Jetta had opened the jar before you?" Lucas asked curiously.

Lina paused and thought it over. "…yes, I think so. More than enough evidence, in fact."

"Lina, what do you mean?" Pokota asked.

"But you said that she is alright. So the Red Priest was lying when he said that Jetta would die if the jar was opened?" Kasper seemed even more curious now.

"No, I don't think so." Lina replied. "Based on what I can tell, the Red Priest's reference to death was not a literal one. We said to you that Jetta is physically well, but her mental state is another story."

"Has something happened to her?"

"Well… we believe that she may be under some sort of mind control." Lina replied. "As far as I can tell, at least, she is in a position where she is not allowed to act out of free will. I believe that it may have something to do with that jar she possesses."

"You think that something within the jar could be controlling her?" Lucas asked.

"I think it may be something that she released from the jar." Lina responded.

"Released from the jar?" Pokota asked. "Lina, what are you talking about?"

"You think that something in the jar could have taken over her?"

"Well… you see… the thing is…" Lina began, and lowered her voice. "…last night, at Jetta's house, I saw… I spoke to, actually… her sister's ghost."

"WHAT?"

Lina closed her eyes, not wanting to make eye contact with the two brothers. "You don't have to believe me, but last night, the ghost of Jetta's and your sister appeared- actually, it's more accurate to say that I came across her accidentally. She was distressed- she said that her soul was bound to her sister's, and that she was unable to move on until she knew that her sister was on the right path. She spoke of a great evil that had overtaken her sister, and… I didn't realise it at the time, but now, I think that maybe-"

The group was interrupted by a chiming noise, which seemed to be connected to a clock. Everyone stiffened for a moment and then relaxed. It seemed as though they had a gotten a little worked up by Lina's narrative.

"Six-thirty already?" Lucas glanced at the clock and turned back to the table. "I apologise. You were saying?"

"I was, uh, saying that-" Lina began, but she was interrupted by Naga, who quickly jumped up, banging her hands on the table.

"Oh dear! We're going to be late!"

"Late?" Lina blinked. "Naga what are you talking about?"

"Have we kept you too long?" Lucas asked in concern, standing up along with Naga.

"No, no! It's not that! It's just that it took us so long to get here, and now it will take us so long to get back, and… and…"

"And what?" Lina asked.

"You mean the wedding?" Pokota added.

Lina slapped her forehead. "Seriously, Naga? Is _that _what you're worried about?"

"We'll never make it back on time, Lina!" Naga exclaimed desperately. "Oh, what should we do?"

"You are late for a wedding?" Lucas asked. "My sincerest apologies- we had no idea that you were-"

"N-no, no! It's fine!" Lina exclaimed. "Besides, if we're going to be late already, then we can stay and finish our discussion."

"You seem awfully nonchalant for being late." Kasper spoke up. "You really ought to get going. I am sure that the bride and groom would forgive you if you are simply a few minutes late."

"That's the thing." Naga pointed out, grabbing Lina by the shoulder. "We have the bride right here."

The two brothers were taken off-guard, and stared for a moment as Lina wrenched herself from Naga's grip. "Naga! That's why it doesn't matter! We were in the middle of an important discussion, and we-"

"You ought to go." Lucas replied, stepping forward. "It is enough for us to know that Jetta is alive, and perhaps sometime soon you might come back to share with us more information on how we can help her and this strange person dark force that you speak of."

"I take it that you don't believe me about the whole ghost thing?"

Lucas simply shook his head. "I honestly do not know what to believe. But if there is any way that we can help our sister, will you please-"

"I'll do better." Lina replied. "We'll come back here tomorrow night. And, if I can do so, I _will _bring your sister. I promise."

Pokota quickly pulled Lina aside. "Lina! What are you doing? Are you insane? You can't just make promises like that!"

Lina frowned. "I can make any promise I want to so long as I intend to fulfil it- and trust me, I do. Tomorrow, we're going to go back to the mansion. And we're going to settle this mess once and for all."

* * *

><p>Naga had to practically drag Lina back to the house, as she was still adamant that they didn't need to rush. But Naga reminded her that it was getting dark, and if they wanted to do anything in the rose garden, they ought to get back soon.<p>

"Gourry is probably going to be worried sick." Naga sighed sadly as they finally landed back on the front porch of the house. "It's all your fault, Lina."

"We had more important things to do." Lina shot back. "And I doubt that anyone will be worried."

She pushed open the door, walking into the living room quietly. "Hello?" she called.

"Oh, hey! We're back in the library!"

Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis seemed to have made themselves comfortable in the library, looking at books. Gourry had looked at all the pictures in the botany books, and was now working on one that was about insects. Zelgadis had found himself an interesting mystery novel to read- a luxury that he hadn't indulged in since he was much younger. Amelia was still poring over the spellbook, trying to make sure that she had performed the spell correctly.

It was obvious that none of them were worried.

"Hey." Zelgadis placed a bookmark in his novel and set it aside. "What took you so long? Did you have to bake your own cake from scratch or something?"

Lina gasped. "The cake! Oh, I knew we forgot something!"

There was a general glare of disbelief from Zelgadis, Amelia, and Gourry. "Didn't you go out to get cake?" Gourry asked, looking rather confused.

"Let me get this straight- you went out for the sole purpose of getting a cake, are gone for four hours, and return with no cake? There's a bakery right there in town, for goodness' sakes!" Zelgadis groaned.

"Gracia, where is your bird- what was his name- Arran?"

"Actually, his name is Edwin." Naga pouted. "And he went back to his original owners. We followed him for hours, and then-"

"Wait, what?" Zelgadis stood up. "He was a pet bird?"

"Yes, in fact he was a pet bird to a very aristocratic family." Lina stated. "The Arcarti family, actually."

Everyone was silent for a moment, until Gourry finally spoke. "…Arcarti? That sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it…"

Lina clenched her teeth in frustration. "Yes, it sounds familiar- it's Marielle and Jetta's family, of course!"

"What do you mean?" Zelgadis asked. "You met her parents?"

"Her brothers, actually." Pokota added. "We recognized them immediately- the family resemblance and that funny accent were hard to miss."

"What did you find out?" Amelia asked.

"A lot, actually. I'm still trying to figure out what it all means." Lina sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs. "According to them, Marielle really did exist. But she was the older sister- the one who died. It was Jetta, the younger sister, who lived."

"What?"

"That's impossible… isn't it?"

Gourry seemed confused- though that wasn't exactly news. "Lina, does that mean that the ghost we saw was actually…"

"Yes." Lina nodded. "It was Marielle- the real one."

"Wait, Lina, what are you saying?" Naga asked. "That the evil Marielle we all know is some sort of fraud?"

"Precisely." Lina nodded. "Last night Gourry mentioned something to me about the possibility of Jetta being the one actually controlling the whole operation, and Marielle simply being her pawn."

"But Lina, that can't be true." Zelgadis replied. "From what we saw last night- for goodness' sake, Marielle threw Jetta off of the balcony! If Jetta is the one actually controlling Marielle, then she's a darn good actress."

"I know. Jetta isn't the one controlling Marielle- I think it's the other way around." Lina replied.

"But Miss Lina, if Miss Marielle is a fake, then how could she…" Amelia began. "It doesn't make sense."

"It does make sense, if you know the story." Lina replied. "Marielle and Jetta's brothers said that Marielle died of smallpox- but that wasn't the whole story. Apparently, when the smallpox outbreak reached the town of Belz, who oh-so-conveniently appeared but the Red Priest, Rezo? According to Lucas, the oldest brother, both girls seemed to be recovering somewhat when Rezo offered to help cure them thoroughly- and though both of them looked as though they would recover, Marielle just suddenly died. Sounds kind of fishy, don't you think?"

Zelgadis frowned. "Lina, you're not implying that Rezo would have…"

"What would have stopped him? He did it to Taforashia." Pokota growled.

"But in Taforashia, he had a goal. He was looking for a vessel for his soul." Amelia pointed out. "What kind of purpose would he have for killing an innocent little girl?"

"That, I don't know." Lina replied with a sigh. "Marielle's brothers only gave us one clue as to Rezo's purpose. They said that, after Marielle died, Rezo gave a jar, much like the Hellmaster's Jar, to Jetta. He said that she needed to keep it close by, but that she could never open it, or she would die herself."

"That sounds kind of harsh." Gourry murmured. "Just for opening a jar, I mean. Do you think it might have been the jar that made you go crazy last night?"

"I'm sure of it. It has to be the same one. Why else would Jetta keep it locked up like it was, and why would Marielle have been so eager to bargain for it?"

"But you said that you thought that jar held within it a portion of the Demon King himself." Zelgadis stated. "If that is true- and it very well may be, considering the fact that Rezo is involved- then how do you think that piece of Shabranigdo got into the jar in the first place? Where did it come from? Was it part of Rezo himself?"

"Perhaps he was trying to purge himself of the Demon Lord's influence so that he could open his eyes." Amelia guessed.

"But we all saw that he wasn't successful." Pokota mentioned. "Even in death and in his imprisonment in the Hellmaster's Jar, he still wasn't able to get rid of Shabranigdo."

"So the question still remains as to where the piece of the Demon Lord in that jar comes from." Zelgadis sighed.

"Maybe it's not this Demon Lord Shaber-whatever." Naga suggested. "Why do you believe so strongly that it's him?"

Everyone glanced at Lina. It had been her declaration, after all, that she was so sure that it was Shabranigdo who resided in the jar. She realized that she was being stared at, and sighed heavily.

"…you see… the thing is… when I opened that jar, my mind went blank. I couldn't think about anything, and… I began chanting a spell that I've only used against two enemies, one of them being the Demon Lord Shabranigdo."

Amelia's eyes widened. "M-Miss Lina, you don't mean the-"

A quick glare from Lina shut her up. "Yeah. That one."

There was a long silence, before Naga finally spoke up.

"Um… what spell is that?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Lina snapped. "Get Amelia to tell you!"

Naga shrunk back. "…sorry…"

"Lina, why don't you calm down?" Gourry murmured, moving over to grasp her hand. "You never did get the cake for the party or whatever we're doing tonight, right? Why don't we go get one- just you and me?"

Lina looked up at him. "Just you and me?"

"Yeah."

Naga didn't seem to agree with them. "But I wanted to-"

"Oh, you can help out here, Naga. Let them have their fun." Zelgadis scolded. "Don't be too long, you two. It's getting late."

"Don't worry. The faster we can get the cake back and the formalities over with, the faster we can _eat _said cake!" Lina assured him.

"Cake! Now I'm excited!" Gourry jumped up. "C'mon, Lina! We'll make sure to be back right away with the best cake they have!"

Lina grinned excitedly. "Yeah! And then we'll party like there's no tomorrow!"

Pokota glanced out the window, at the quickly darkening sky. "…but, of course, there is a tomorrow… and you made quite a promise to Jetta's brothers…"

Lina glanced at Pokota for a moment, her excitement successfully subdued. "…right. C'mon, Gourry- let's go get that cake."

* * *

><p>(AN: …they just can't seem to get that cake, can they? This sort of reminds me of the chapter in All That Glitters, when Amelia and Zelgadis get sidetracked helping the wolves and ended up forgetting what their whole mission was… haha… I didn't intend for these scenes to be similar at all. And anyway, that distraction was filler stuff, while this was important to the plot…)


	28. Ghostly visitors

I'm sorry; it's been a while. I haven't posted this chapter because I just wasn't happy with it… because of Lina and Gourry and Zel and Amelia… and everything. Darn it all… maybe it's because I had no faith in myself to write this correctly, so I'm not too happy with it. But, nevertheless, I've done editing and revising, and more editing, and… well, here's what I came up with. I might change it later… As usual, despite my obsessing, Slayers is not mine- I am just a fan writing some fiction. Enjoy…

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><p><strong>28- Ghostly visitors- Hope for the best!<strong>

"Lina, are you upset about something?"

The sorceress frowned, wondering why it had taken Gourry so long to notice. He stared down at her, trying to see over the large box that they were using to carry the much anticipated cake back to the house.

"…huh, I didn't think you'd noticed. What gave it away?"

"Well, you're being awfully quiet. You didn't even laugh at the jokes that the nice guy at the bakery told us."

Lina rolled her eyes. "Those jokes were too corny, Gourry."

"_I _thought they were funny." He paused and shifted the box in his grip, and then continued. "It's just… you're only this quiet when you're angry about something, or when you're worried about something. And since I'm pretty sure that you're not angry, it must be the other option. Can you tell me what's got you down? Are you just nervous?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." Lina sighed. "I mean… I'm just not sure what to expect… I'm still a little confused about the whole deal, and then I'm not even sure what's going to happen once it's all over. Maybe I'm getting a bit too antsy and overthinking everything, but-"

"You're not overthinking it." Gourry replied, trying to cheer her up with a smile. "I think that maybe everyone feels that way to some extent before they get married."

"Before they…?" Lina gave Gourry an incredulous look. "No, no! Not that! I'm talking about fighting against Marielle tomorrow!"

"Oh. _That_." Gourry responded. "…that, uh… well… um… okay, sorry. I've got nothing to contribute."

"I didn't think you would." Lina sighed. "The thing is… I'm upset because I've got no idea exactly what I'm going to fighting. Normally I know what we're fighting in advance, so I can strategise. But… I'm still not sure. I've got it sort of figured out, but that only worries me more."

"Because…?"

Lina took a deep breath. "I made a promise to Jetta's brothers that I'd try to bring her back alive. But, with what I've figured out, I'm not even sure that it would be possible."

"And why is that?" Gourry asked in concern.

"Because, I'm not even sure if we can get Jetta out alive and still defeat Marielle."

Gourry stopped walking for a moment. "How do you figure that?" he demanded.

"I can explain it- though it may be over your head."

"Try me."

"Well…" Lina sighed heavily, and continued. "Do you remember fighting the Red Priest Rezo?"

"Yeah."

"And Luke?"

"Yeah. They were both being controlled by that Shabranigdo guy, right?"

"Right. Very good." Lina nodded. "They both had a piece of Shabranigdo attached to their soul, which overpowered them once it awoke, due to their strong emotions- Rezo, who wanted to do anything to cure his blindness, and Luke, who wanted to do anything to get revenge for Millina's death. What I'm thinking, is that there was a piece of Shabranigdo within Jetta, and it awoke when her sister died."

"But, Lina- that was eleven years ago." Gourry pointed out. "Wouldn't we have had to fight her already or something?"

"Not necessarily." Lina replied. "Because anyone with eyes can see that she has not succumbed to the Demon Lord's power the way Rezo and Luke did. That only leaves the possibility that something- or some_one_- is sapping that power from her."

"And you think that someone may be Marielle?"

"Bingo, Gourry."

The swordsman walked a few paces ahead, attempting to help Lina up the hill, though he didn't have much ability to, with the box he was carrying. "So that means that Marielle is somehow using the power of Shabranigdo?"

"That's what I'm thinking. So, even if we destroy Marielle, then the Demon Lord's soul will move back to Jetta's body, where it was originally, and we'll have to destroy her too."

Gourry frowned. "I don't want to do that. She seems kind of nice."

"Me neither. And I especially don't want to have to go back to her brothers and tell them that I wasn't able to save her. Do you know how horrible that would be?" Lina sighed.

"It certainly doesn't sound like how I would want to spend my Monday." Gourry conceded.

"I don't want to spend my Monday fighting someone using the Demon Lord's power either, but do we have much of a choice? The longer we put it off, the worse it'll be. Besides, Zel hasn't got that much time left anyway…"

That statement managed to silence them both for a few minutes. Lina finally attempted to relieve the tension by changing the subject entirely.

"…uh, do you want me to carry that the rest of the way?"

"No thanks." Gourry replied. "I'm alright. We're almost there- I think I can see the roof of the house from here. Besides, how do I know you won't eat it?"

"Eat it? Gourry!" Lina scolded. "Of course I won't eat it! Gosh, you have no faith in me!"

Gourry just laughed as Lina gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder. "I'm just kidding! We'll have to wait until after the ceremony. It'll give me some incentive not to fall asleep during the boring parts."

"Hey, now! You won't fall asleep because I _say _you won't fall asleep!"

"Okay, okay! I won't fall asleep, Lina!" Gourry assured her. "I promise."

"You'd better not." Lina laughed, and began running ahead of him. "C'mon, I'll race you back!"

"H-hey! Now that's no fair- I have this cake, after all! Lina! Wait!"

* * *

><p>When Lina and Gourry entered the house, it was all-too-quiet. No one seemed to be around.<p>

"Hey, Amelia? Zel? Naga? Gourry?" Lina called for all of her friends, but no one answered. She glanced over at Gourry, who seemed just as concerned as she was.

"Gourry, put that cake down in the kitchen. Maybe everyone is out in the garden, waiting for us." Lina murmured, and hurried out the door. Gourry placed the cake on the kitchen counter, and ran out after the sorceress.

The scene they met wasn't exactly a happy one.

"Z-Zel!" Lina gasped.

Zelgadis was unconscious, draped over the railing on the porch, as though he had been leaning on it and passed out. Amelia seemed to be desperately working some healing spells, and Naga and Pokota were sort of hovering around, as though they were trying to help, but didn't know what to do.

"Lina!" Pokota gasped, seeing her appear, along with Gourry, who was right behind her.

"Pokota, what in the world happened here? Is Zelgadis okay?" Lina demanded, grabbing the stuffed animal by the ears.

"We were… sweeping dead leaves off the porch, because Amelia wanted to hold the wedding there since the bushes in the garden have grown over the garden paths. Zelgadis seemed fine, but all of a sudden some strange magic started to flash around him and he looked like he was in pain… he grabbed the railing of the porch for support, but then he completely passed out! The weird magic is gone now, but he hasn't woken up…"

Lina shoved Pokota out of the way, and ran over to where Amelia was furiously casting healing spells, fighting back tears. "Oh, Miss Lina… I don't know what to do!" she sobbed.

"So I guess the spell didn't work…?" Lina murmured, though she didn't expect an answer, and didn't really need one. She looked at Zelgadis and raised her hand as though to try slapping him awake, but then remembered that doing something like that would probably hurt quite a bit, and Zelgadis, with his rock-like skin, wouldn't even feel it.

"Zel…? Zelgadis? Hey?" Lina murmured, trying to figure out a way to wake him up. Amelia reached out and touched his cheek, in an attempt to see if maybe he just needed to be reminded where he was.

"How long has he been unconscious?" Gourry asked, rushing over as well.

"Not long." Naga replied. "Amelia had just began trying to cast healing spells when you two showed up."

"He doesn't need to stay draped over the railing like this." Gourry added, reaching out to move the chimera, but Lina stopped him as he got close.

"Wait. It might not be a good idea to move him." Lina said. "If the remnants of the magic are still surrounding him, then it could be dangerous for both of you."

"…but…" Gourry murmured, not happy seeing his friend looking so uncomfortable- even if he was unconscious.

"Maybe if you just take him inside and lay him down on the couch or something…" Naga murmured.

"I suppose you could try." Lina sighed, allowing Gourry to bend down and draped one of the chimera's arms over his shoulder in order to lug him back inside the house. Amelia took Zelgadis' other arm over her own shoulder, though it was obvious that Gourry was supporting most of his weight. Naga followed, still hovering somewhat.

Lina watched, and glanced at Pokota. "Lina… you don't think that he's…" Pokota began.

"H-he can't be." Lina replied, her voice cracking slightly in fear. "I mean, the way he made it sound, if he were to die like that, then all of the pieces used to form his chimera body would dissimilate, and he'd be reduced to his human body- or nothing at all."

"But, then…" Pokota's voice trailed off, and he jumped up and flew toward the house, with Lina following after him.

As she rounded the corner into the living room, Lina breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed as though Zelgadis was now semi-conscious, and was trying to make sense of his situation.

"Oww…" he murmured, sitting up.

Amelia leaned in closer. "Are you okay? Where does it hurt? I'll cast another healing spell."

"It's just… my head…" Zelgadis muttered through clenched teeth. Amelia raised her hand and cast another Recover spell. Zelgadis visibly relaxed, and looked over to Amelia with appreciation. "…thanks for that. I'm sorry- I don't know what happened; I just-"

"The spell didn't work." Amelia sobbed, finally allowing herself to cry, and throwing herself into Zelgadis' arms. This succeeded in waking him up all the way, and he seemed somewhat surprised. "Oh, Zelgadis, it didn't work! I don't know why! I thought I'd done it correctly! I was so sure! And then when you collapsed, I thought that you were gone!"

"What the heck happened?" Zelgadis was still confused.

"I'm not totally sure." Lina admitted. "Gourry and I didn't come back until you'd already passed out."

"You were helping us sweep off the porch, remember?" Naga added. "Then that weird power overtook you, and you passed out."

Zelgadis sat up and frowned. "Again? I had thought that Amelia's spell had worked too… I suppose not. I'm sorry, Amelia. I guess…"

Amelia attempted to stop crying, with no success . "Th-there's got to be something I did wrong. There must be some sort of way to fix this. I can-"

"Amelia, please. Calm down." Zelgadis sighed. "You're overthinking this."

"Overthinking?" Amelia sobbed. "How could something like this be overthinking? Zelgadis, I can't let you die~!"

Zelgadis seemed quite calm, all things considering. "It'll be okay, Amelia. Stop crying and compose yourself. What time is it?"

"It's almost eight-thirty." Lina replied. "And it's getting pretty dark outside. Maybe it's better if we don't do the whole wedding thing tonight… we could just have it sometime later, when we-"

"No!" Zelgadis' expression remained stern. "Why postpone it?"

"Well, you're not doing well, and…" Lina murmured, her voice trailing off.

"Lina's right. Maybe you should take it easy." Pokota agreed.

Zelgadis shook his head. "Honestly, that's all the more reason for me to want this to take place tonight. If you don't want to do this, I understand, but not because of me. If you postpone it, I may never get to see it, and I really don't want to miss two of my best friends getting married to one another."

"I'm not sure…" Lina murmured.

The group paused and looked at one another. "…Amelia?" Naga asked. "Are you composed enough to officiate the ceremony?"

Amelia wiped her eyes. "…I… I think so…"

"Well, you can't be crying through it. Otherwise, Gourry might lose interest and fall asleep." Lina joked.

"I won't fall asleep! I already promised you that!" Gourry replied quickly.

"Yeah, but you've promised me a lot of other things too."

"What other things?"

"See? You've already forgotten them!"

"I can't forget things you've never told me!"

"Now look here-"

Pokota sent a sceptical glance at the scene. "So… it looks like you're just going to skip the whole 'newlywed' phase, and go straight into the 'bickering-old-couple' phase, right?"

Lina and Gourry twirled back toward him. Gourry just laughed, but Lina seemed offended. "Who are you calling old? You're older than I am!"

"Yeah, but at least I'm not crabby like you are." Pokota huffed.

"Crabby? Why you little-"

Lina lunged for Pokota, but the sound of Amelia giggling stopped her. It seemed as though Lina and Pokota's antics had raised her spirits a bit. "Alright, alright, Miss Lina. I get it. I'm composed enough for the ceremony." She turned around to Zelgadis. "I'm sorry for getting so upset. I'm just frustrated with myself… I _will _figure out what I did wrong the first time and fix it. You'll be fine, I promise."

"Are you sure that you're alright?" Zelgadis asked.

"That's what I should be asking you." Amelia gave a smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure that everything will work out. All that matters now is making tonight special. Alright?" She turned and looked around the group, seeking approval.

There was a moment of silence, and Naga finally spoke up.

"Yeah! That's the spirit, Amelia! Everything is going to be fine! Now let's have this wedding!" She grabbed Lina and Gourry's arms and pulled them toward the door.

"H-hey! Naga! Let go!" Lina called, but Naga didn't seem to be paying any mind.

* * *

><p>It was definitely the most casual wedding any of the group had ever witnessed- especially Amelia, Naga, and Pokota, who had been to a few royal weddings, and knew how elaborate weddings could be. But this one was simple- just a small group of friends, gathered on the back porch and surrounded by the smell of flowers and the chirping of crickets, seemingly without a care in the world.<p>

And, somehow, it seemed fitting.

It was already dark, and so Amelia had to hold a lighting spell as she read the vows for her friends, trying to keep her grip on the book, and still keep the light at a safe distance to make it readable.

"…from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, until death do you pa-"

"Yes!"

There was a pause, and Lina stepped on Gourry's foot. "It's 'I do,' you idiot."

"Oh, right! …I mean… 'I do."

"That's alright, Mister Gourry." Amelia smiled. "That promise came from your heart, and that's what matters the most."

"Does this honestly count as a legal wedding?" Pokota muttered from his perch on Zelgadis' shoulder.

"Hey, it's officiated by a high priestess of the country of Seyruun. It's legit… I think." the chimera shrugged. "No matter how laid-back the soon-to-be-newlyweds are acting."

"We can _hear _you, Zel~!" Lina called.

"Quiet! All of you! I want to hear my rival say 'I do!" Naga yelled.

"Alright, Lina. Your turn." Gourry tapped her on the head.

"Right, right. It's the same thing you just promised, right?" Lina shrugged. "Alright, Amelia, what he said-"

"Wait, wait! You're getting ahead of yourself!" Amelia hurriedly continued the vows, and Lina actually listened intently this time. It was odd, but the promise felt sort of familiar- and not just because it had been read to Gourry.

_Y'know… I this doesn't have to be such a big deal… I mean, the whole wedding-promise thing is just about sticking together and caring for each other for the rest of our lives. We were doing that already- so it's not like anything is really changing… _

"…to love and cherish, until death do you part?"

Lina gave a nod. "Yes. I do."

Gourry's smile was so wide that Lina was afraid his face might get permanently stuck in that expression, which would _not _be a good thing.

"Lina! You didn't even hesitate!"

"Of course not. Don't you trust me?"

"Without a doubt!"

Amelia smiled in return, and continued the long and complicated vows, and, finally, declared the two married.

Naga's cheering and subsequent laughter drowned out Zelgadis and Pokota's clapping, and they both glared at her, along with Lina, while Gourry and Amelia seemed a bit confused by the whole situation.

"So, uh, what now?" Gourry asked. "This is where I kiss you, right?"

Lina looked around. "In _front _of everybody?"

"Um, yeah."

"Like, _here?_"

Gourry raised an eyebrow. "Lina, I distinctly remember telling you that there wasn't a more public display of affection than a wedding, and you seemed okay with it."

"Just kiss him, already!" Naga yelled. "Or I'll go in and eat your cake."

"OH NO, YOU DON'T! YOU'RE NOT TOUCHING THAT CAKE!" Lina wouldn't allow her rival to dip into _her _wedding cake first. She grabbed Gourry's hair and pulled him down to her level to kiss him for a brief moment before letting go.

"There. Are you happy with that?"

"Yes. As long as you let go of my hair, I think that will suffice for now."

"Good." Lina nodded and turned toward the doorway to go back to the kitchen, but Gourry's voice held her back for a moment.

"Lina! Look at that!"

At Gourry's insistence, Lina spun around and stared out at the garden. It took her a moment to see what he was talking about, but when she finally did, she gasped loudly and ran over to the side of the porch.

"Lighting bugs! They're all over the place!"

The garden was full of the insects, flying about amongst the bushes. "Oh yes, I forgot how many lightning bugs you can see here during the summer!" Amelia exclaimed. "They're so beautiful!"

"Light_ning _bugs?" Lina questioned. "Is that the Seyruun name for them? I've heard that they're light_ing_ bugs in Zephilia, and fire-flies in Elmekia..."

"I've always heard them called lightning bugs." Naga added.

"In Taforashia, they're called glow-worms, even though they're not really worms." Pokota responded.

"I always travelled around, so I've never really called them one name or another." Zelgadis added. "Rezo often told stories about them- you know, just legends and things, but he always mentioned that he wished so much to see the little beetles that shine like fairy souls. That was... back before he was... overtaken by evil."

Lina smiled slightly. "Well, whatever you call them, I like them. I used to catch then when I was a kid, and it always reminds me of my childhood... well, the good part of it, anyway."

"Hey, Lina, are those fire-flies blue?"

Lina turned around, surprised by the question. "What are you talking about, Gourry? Are you colour-blind? There are no such things as blue fire-fl-" She suddenly stopped short as she caught a glimpse of a pale blue light, floating through the air amongst the bushes and trees. "...well, what do you know?"

There were several of them now, flying around the area. The fireflies were, in fact, emitting blue light, which was fixed and steady rather than flickering on and off.

"They're not blinking. Do you think they're broken?" Gourry asked.

"They aren't broken, Mister Gourry." Amelia assured him. "That's how they always light up."

"So you've seen these before?" Lina asked.

"I remember them now…" Naga murmured. "I had all but forgotten about the Blue Ghosts."

"Blue Ghosts?" Pokota asked.

"Yes- they're a special type of lightning bug that lives in this area." Amelia replied.

"And only in this area." Naga added. "They have never been discovered anywhere else in the world."

"And they light up with blue lights?" Gourry asked.

"Exactly." Amelia nodded, and then looked back out at the bushes. "It's amazing to sit and watch them on a summer's evening… they only come out for a short amount of time in late summer during the breeding season. Their lights are such a lovely colour, and so steady…" She turned and smiled at Lina and Gourry. "I think they're here to congratulate the two of you!"

Lina blushed. "I-I really don't think any congratulations are in order… but they are pretty…"

"Lina, do you want to try and catch some?" Gourry asked.

Lina shook her head. "Not these guys. They're too pretty to put in a jar. These are the kind that you just have to look at and appreciate."

"I appreciate them." Naga declared.

Amelia moved closer to Zelgadis and leaned on his shoulder. "Even for sorcerers, and people who use magic on a daily basis, there's something altogether differently magical about watching these little guys fly."

"Perhaps it's because they do it all by themselves." Zelgadis suggested. "When we use magic, we draw power from other beings, be they spirits or Mazoku or whatever… but these little lightning bugs are responsible for the light themselves. I suppose that's what makes them so breathtaking."

"Yes, I think so too."

It was an awfully calm ending to a rather stressful day.

* * *

><p>It was a late night for everyone, but eventually they were all settled in and sleeping soundly.<p>

At least, most of them were.

Amelia was able to sleep, but it was fitful and broken. She couldn't stop thinking about the spell. There had to be something she had done wrong- something she could fix in order to make everything right again.

Her mind wrapped itself around the logistics of the spell so many times that it got tired, and still, she couldn't seem to figure out the solution.

Then, suddenly, she remembered something. There was a passage of the book that she had read, that might have said something about timing. Getting up, she walked across the room and took the book off of the desk, careful not to wake her sister. Amelia sat back down on the bed and flipped through it until she found the passage she was looking for. With her small lighting spell illuminating it, her eyes scanned the page over and over, and suddenly it all made sense.

"That's it!" she whispered excitedly. "That's why it didn't work. Of course!"

The whole house seemed to be silent except for the sound of the hallway creaking under her footsteps as she rushed down the hall toward the room that Zelgadis was using.

"Zelgadis?" she whispered, opening the door to his room. "I need to talk to you about something. ...Zelga-"

Amelia's scream could be heard through the whole house.

Gourry was the first to burst into the room, with his sword in hand as though he were going to face an enemy, however, it was obviously a subconscious reaction, as he was still half-asleep. "...hmm? Wha...? Amelia, why are you screaming...?"

"Amelia! What's going on?" Lina rushed in after Gourry, with Pokota trailing behind.

"M-M-Miss Lina~!" Amelia choked, holding the spell book close in one hand, and clutching a small piece of paper in the other. "I couldn't sleep, so I was puzzling over the spell and I finally figured out what went wrong, but when I can in here to tell Zelgadis, he was gone~!"

Lina paled sharply. "G-gone? You mean, as in... gone, gone?"

"No, I mean he ran away! He left a note!" Amelia shoved the piece of paper toward Lina. The sorceress fingered the paper curiously, reading it several times.

"What does it say?" Pokota asked, leaning over to see the note.

"It says that he had something important to do."

"So where did he go?" Gourry asked.

"...do you even need to ask?" Lina murmured. "He's gone off to fight Marielle- alone."

"WHAT? He can't fight her alone!" Pokota exclaimed.

"Zel knows that. He isn't stupid." Lina replied. "He's going ahead of us. He's going to let her fight him and beat him, so that, by the time we get there, she's weakened. He wants to be our martyr… and we can't let that happen."

* * *

><p>(AN: … For those wondering, 'blue ghost' fireflies, _Phausis reticulata, _do actually exist in real life. They are found in a particular region in North Carolina, in the southern United States. Despite living there all my life, I've never actually seen one, but I've heard a lot about them. One thing I did change about the fireflies in the story, however, is their breeding season. Real blue ghosts have a breeding season in late spring/early summer, however, this story takes place in August, so I had to alter the time just slightly, so that they could make an appearance. But they are found in only a small region, and their lights are characterized by a steady glow rather than flashes. …oh, and the other night I actually caught a firefly (not a blue ghost, though)! It was so exciting! He landed on my hand for a while, and then flew away. :D)


	29. Breaking and entering

We're getting close to the end here, (let the final battle commence! Yeah!) but, as usual, I don't own anything pertaining to Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>29- Breaking and entering… but mostly breaking!<strong>

"What are we supposed to do?" Amelia shrieked. "W-we can't just let him go! He'll get really hurt by himself."

"Well, he's not what I'd call helpless." Lina replied. "If it were any other opponent, my money would be on Zel. But… to go and fight someone using the power of the Demon Lord… who knows what will happen to him?"

"…Amelia? …Pokota? …Lina? …Zelgadis? …Gourry? …What is everyone doing awake in the middle of the night…?"

"Gracia!" Amelia embraced her sister violently. "It's Zelgadis! He's gone!"

"He ran off." Lina clarified, showing Naga the note.

"What? But that's impossible!" Naga exclaimed. She looked over the note and then handed it back to Lina. "This is a joke, right?"

"I wish it was." Lina groaned. "I just don't understand that man sometimes!"

"Well, we can't just stand around here! We have to go after him!" Pokota yelled, jumping up. "Let's go! Hurry! He already has a head start!"

"Thank you, Mister Pokota!" Amelia agreed, rushing out into the hallway after him.

"H-hold on a second! At least give us a minute to change clothes!" Lina called back. Amelia and Pokota turned around, looking puzzled.

"You want to do what? Lina, we don't have time for that!"

Lina glared at Pokota, walking back toward her room. "I'm not being vain! I just don't want to show up to fight a Demon Lord in pink pyjamas and slippers! Let me get my talismans, at _least_."

Amelia looked down sheepishly at her own clothes, and turned back to Pokota. "…perhaps she does have a point. We didn't think we'd be leaving here so abruptly, and in the middle of the night."

"Um, question!" Naga called out to everyone. "I don't really understand what's going on, but apparently we're going off to some sort of battle… So, how much of a chance is there that we won't be coming back from this fight?"

"If we work together? Um… about fifty-fifty?" Lina called back.

"WHAT?"

Lina slipped out of the door, pulling her shoulder armour on. "I'm kidding. Seriously, though, it's not going to be a picnic. This is someone who is likely wielding the power of the Demon Lord and using it for their own nefarious purposes. You want me to give you a percent chance of us winning? I don't even fully know how much power we're up against!"

"But we will have each other." Amelia added, joining them. She clutched the spellbook tightly.

"That's true. We can't give up just because things look bleak. If we had done that in the past, think of how many times over we'd be dead by now!" Gourry added with a smile.

"The idiot has a point." Lina chuckled and elbowed him. "No matter what, we can't give up. We're going to rescue Jetta and give Marielle- whatever she is- what's coming to her!"

"I like the sound of that!" Pokota chimed in.

* * *

><p>"Security doesn't seem to be very tight around here…" Pokota murmured, glancing downward. The group had flown to the mansion, and been prepared to have to find some way around the large wall that surrounded the property. However, it appeared as though it was hardly any trouble just to fly over it. A slow drizzle was beginning to fall as they gathered in the courtyard.<p>

"You're right about that… I wonder if they're expecting us. I wouldn't put it past Marielle…" Lina murmured. She landed as carefully as she could with Gourry in tow, trying to at least make them somewhat stealthy. If the security had been any tighter, then it might have been a problem for them, but, strangely enough, considering what had happened earlier, there was no one around.

"Well, she doesn't have Mister Xellos working for her anymore." Amelia pointed out. "Isn't he the one who usually sees these sort of things coming?"

"I suppose…" Lina murmured. "But that's not important. What's most important right now is finding Zelgadis and making sure he's okay."

"Agreed." Amelia nodded. "Where do you think he might have gone? This mansion is such a big place, and I don't even know where we are."

"…can we just get inside for now?" Gourry asked. "I think the rain is starting to pick up."

Lina sighed. "Do you think that it will be locked?"

"No. Why lock the mansion if there's a giant wall around it?" Naga raised an eyebrow.

Lina shook her head and snuck around to the back of the building, approaching the large double doors silently. She reached out and grabbed the knob, turning it to open the door… but it didn't turn.

"_What _was that about it not being locked?" the sorceress swivelled around to Naga accusingly.

"It was my professional opinion! How was I supposed to know that it was wrong?"

"Because you used to work here!" Lina snapped. She was tired, and irritated by their sudden departure.

"Lina, do you think you can unlock it with that magical thingy that you did when you were getting that jar?" Gourry asked.

Lina blinked. "…you mean the magical lock? But I don't see one on this door…" she looked around, trying her best to find any sign of a magical lock on the door, but didn't find one.

"But didn't you say that Marielle told you there were lots of magical locks around here?" Gourry continued.

Stopping for a moment, Lina thought about it. "Well, she did say that magical locks were a normal fixture… perhaps… there's something more to this door…"

The sorceress ran her finger over the door, searching for some sort of pattern- some sort of energy pathway that might indicate there was some way to magically open the lock. She found nothing. It was too dark to see anything.

"I need a lighting spell." she murmured, mouthing the words and materialising a ball of light in her hand. "I think there's something attached to the knob-"

"You mean this?" Gourry pushed his way toward the door. "There's something weird about the way the doorknob attaches to the door. Did you notice?"

"He's right." Pokota flew around and landed on Gourry's arm, next to the door. "I didn't notice it because it was so dark, but when you point it out… there is something there."

Lina pushed Gourry and Pokota aside. "I know! I saw, I saw! …that's it!" Placing both hands around the outside of the doorknob, she channelled the same magic into it that she had channelled into the door that concealed the jar. A network of glowing lights across the door lit up and the knob gave a soft click. Lina reached out and turned it…

…the door creaked as it gave way, revealing a small entryway behind it.

"Bingo! We're in!" Lina declared triumphantly.

"Don't we need to be looking for Zelgadis?" Gourry spoke up.

"My thoughts exactly." Amelia replied, walking into the house in front of everyone.

"O-Okay, then! Just follow Amelia, everyone!" Naga called, rushing in after them.

* * *

><p>Their shoes clacked against the tile floor as the group walked down the hallway, and they looked around warily for any sign that someone might be around.<p>

Pokota was a bit concerned. "…I don't see anyone. No servants… no guards…"

"…no Zelgadis…" Amelia added.

"I'm scared about what Marielle said earlier… about getting lost in the mansion, and never being found." Lina frowned. "To be honest, we could be walking right into a trap. I don't want to-"

"Lina! Quiet! Do you hear that?"

Everyone paused. "Gourry? What do you mean-?"

The sound of footsteps could be heard from down the hall. Faint voices echoed from the direction, sounding as though they were arguing. Naga stepped forward as if to pursue them, but Lina grabbed her arm. "Careful, Naga." she whispered softly. "We don't know who's down there."

"Whoever it is, they don't sound very happy." Pokota observed.

Lina put a finger to her lips and tiptoed down the hallway, toward a corner, around which the voices seemed to be coming from. She listened intently, searching for meaning in the hushed voices.

"But please- you've got to listen to me- I can't leave this place! I just-"

"I'm not asking you to leave. That's not my goal."

"But please- you've got to do something about Marielle!"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"You're going about it the wrong way!"

"Then what is the right way?"

"…I don't know if there is one… it's complicated…"

"I know it's complicated! That's why I'm here!"

"…but… but…"

Lina decided that now might be a good time to step in. "Hey! Hold on a moment! Zelgadis!"

Zelgadis turned around in astonishment, completely unprepared to see Lina or any of his other friends there. "L-Lina? Amelia? Everyone? What in the world are you doing here?" he demanded angrily. Jetta took a step back in trepidation at the chimera's outburst.

Amelia tackled him with just as much anger. "How dare you do this? How could you just leave like that? After all we've been through, how could you just leave a note and go off seeking your own doom?"

"It was for your good- and the good of finally finishing off this nightmare that we've been having-"

"Don't you dare speak of good- mine or anyone else's!" Amelia scolded. "What about your own good?"

"Amelia, you know exactly what is going to-"

"No!"

Lina and the others couldn't help but take another step back. An angry Amelia was one thing, but this Amelia was beyond livid- though with good reason.

"If you're wondering why we're all out here at this hour of the night, it's because of your irresponsibility! I know you were trying to help us out, but you could have at least waited until morning! That was our plan, after all!"

"Amelia's right, you know." Lina glared at Zelgadis. She figured that they wouldn't mind it if she intruded into the conversation just a little. "Trying to be the hero was not a good idea. I know you feel pressed for time right now, but you should have at least told us about your little plan before taking off."

"But-" Zelgadis protested, though he was cut off again.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were when we discovered your note?" Pokota yelled.

"For a second there, I thought you might really be gone!" Lina added.

"We had to rush to get here, just to make sure you hadn't gone running headfirst into battle without us!" Naga added.

"But-"

"We're your friends and we've got your back. You don't have to go off on your own. We'll understand if you want to help us, but we should all be in it together." Lina continued.

"Miss Lina is right!" Amelia added. "After all this time, how could you go running off again?"

"Would you guys just be quiet and listen to me for _one second_?" Zelgadis demanded. "I didn't come here to fight Marielle alone!"

"No." Lina raised an eyebrow. "You came to make yourself a martyr to help us out in our fight."

"That's not it either!" Zelgadis groaned. "If I were coming here to fight her, I'd have told you guys. My mission right now wasn't to fight _anyone_."

The group was quiet for a moment.

"…you weren't going to fight?"

"…Lina…" Zelgadis sighed in irritation. "Of course not. I'm here because there's something about Marielle that we never realised!"

"What do you mean?" Pokota asked.

"I figured that, with what I'd figured out, then we could prevent this fight altogether. That's what I came here trying to do- not to fight, but to prevent a fight."

"You still should have told us... Even if we were asleep..." Lina murmured.

"So what did you find out?" Pokota asked.

"I finally figured out what Marielle is really-"

"What I am really_ what_?"

The hallway went silent. Jetta's face turned deathly pale, and she turned slowly. "S-sister dearest... I thought that you were asleep..."

Marielle stared at Jetta with an icy glare. "As I thought that you were."

"I...I... I had to greet the guests..." Jetta stammered.

"Yes; these guests, whom I specifically told never to set foot in my mansion again. How hospitable of you, dear _sister_..."

"M-Marielle..." Jetta choked.

"It is of no matter. You all must leave. I will escort you out-"

"Now hold on just a second!" Lina yelled. "We're not going anywhere! There's something fishy going on here, and we're not leaving until it's resolved. We've stood by and watched for far too long!"

Zelgadis took a step forward, staring down Marielle with a stern expression. "Don't think we'll have any doubts about fighting you. You may look like a little girl, but you're not."

Marielle raised an eyebrow. "Fine, then. I shall, in that case, have no reservations about destroying you." She pointed to Zelgadis. "It's a pity that someone like you would have to rely on Xellos' power to keep you intact. Let us see if I can get rid of that silly spell, shall we?"

With little more than a tilt of her head, a spiralling vortex of chaotic magic engulfed the chimera, causing him to fall to his knees, clutching his head in pain.

"ZELGADIS!" Amelia shrieked, rushing to his side. The chaos magic struck her too, and she screamed in pain, but clung to Zelgadis nonetheless.

"Amelia! Zel!" Lina screamed. "Marielle, what did you-"

"I negated the effects of Xellos' spell, of course! I outrank him!"

Lina clenched her teeth angrily. "I think that's a stretch! FIREBALL!"

Marielle countered the Fireball with a dark energy ball of her own, which created an enormous explosion. The walls around them shook, and the force of the blast radiated in all directions, tearing through walls and sending people and furniture flying.

"Lina!" Through the explosion, Gourry managed to grab her hand. He yelled out through the smoke and debris. "What's the plan?"

Lina coughed, and yelled back. "Defeat her!"

"That's not very specific!"

"It's the official plan until I can come up with something better!" Lina spat. She fell into another coughing fit, and then added "Use the replica Sword of Light! It worked against the ghost of Shabranigdo- maybe it'll work against Marielle! I don't want to use a Dragon Slave, since I'm not sure what effects it will have, but I'll back you up with my magic as much as possible!"

Gourry gave a nod, and let go of Lina's hand, pulling out the replica sword that he'd been given by Pokota.

"Light come forth!"

The blade of the sword burst to life, slashing through the thick dust and debris blown around by the explosion. Gourry couldn't see Marielle through the dust, so he had to rely on his other senses to guide him. Finally, he determined the location of his target, and struck.

His breath caught in his throat as a small but strong pair of hands grabbed him by his wrists, stopping his sword. Marielle stood beneath him, glaring up at him.

"I am sorry, are you lost?" she murmured darkly. "That sword you are holding looks a little out-of-place here. You ought to put it away."

"ELMIKIA LANCE!"

Lina and Pokota shot an attack at the two- one that wouldn't physically harm Gourry, but it's effects on Marielle were yet to be determined.

The girl let go of the swordsman and jumped back a few feet, looking slightly confused.

"Gourry! Now!" Lina yelled.

He nodded and gripped the hilt of the sword. Not thinking twice, he jumped toward the girl and attacked with all of his power. Gourry gritted his teeth in the normal gruesome anticipation of bloodshed, but... there was none. Gourry, Lina, Pokota, and Naga stared blankly.

"Sh-she... she's nothing but a doll!" Naga exclaimed.

It was obvious, now that the side of her face and her shoulder had been sliced away, revealing, not a living creature, but a simple doll.

Marielle smiled a lopsided grin that looked a bit odd, considering that half of her face was gone. "Surprise, surprise."

Lina took a step back. _All this time, I thought that she was some sort of flesh-and-blood copy... but that's not the case at all! She's nothing more than a doll- and a very good one at that! I'm not surprised that she fooled us... after all, Ozzel had us fooled when we first met her... but still..._

A dark red, pulsing magical energy exuded from the doll and filled the void where Gourry had cut away.

She laughed coldly. "You're all so foolish, you know."

"FIREBALL!" "FREEZE ARROW!" "DUG HAUT!"

Lina, Naga, and Pokota wasted no time in attacking, but a barrier around Marielle deflected the attacks and reduced the earthen spires to rubble. Whiplike energy shot out from the shield, trapping the three of them in its grip. Lina cursed under her breath as she struggled to get free. She should have known that something like this would happen. Where in the world were Amelia, Zelgadis, and Jetta?

Unfazed, Gourry spun around and sliced through the energy with his sword, cutting his friends free. Marielle seemed somewhat surprised by this, but quickly regained her composure, jumping back a few steps.

"I ought not to have expected less of the legendary Sword of Light- replica or not. But the sword alone won't save you- you can be sure of THAT!"

The whips shot out and clutched Gourry by the wrists, nearly wrenching the sword from his hands.

"Let go of him!" Lina yelled, jumping toward them, but the whips wrapped themselves around her arms and around her neck, choking her into silence.

"Lina!" Gourry yelled, trying to get to her, but he was held firmly in place.

"Do not worry so." Marielle comforted. "At least you and your beloved will die together."

"FREEZE AR-" Naga and Pokota attempted to launch a joint attack from behind, but Marielle trapped them in the middle of it, without even turning around.

Lina was fighting to breathe, and cringed, seeing Marielle's lopsided smirk again. She tried her best to choke out a spell, but it was useless, as she had to fight just to get any air at all.

_I was right... she _is _using Shabranigdo's power- the Sword of Light is the only thing that can reach her... but poor Gourry can't move as long as she has him in her grip... Come on, Amelia and Zel... Where are you?_

"MARIELLE, STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!"

The loud voice stopped the girl in her tracks, making the barrier and the whiplike extensions dissipate. Lina fell to the ground, gasping to fill her lungs, and Gourry scrambled to her side, trying to make sure she was okay.

"Jetta, what are you doing?" Marielle frowned angrily.

The young woman stood on top of a pile of rubble, breathing heavily as though she'd been running a long way. She held up a lone jar, holding it out threateningly, as though she was about to drop it.

"Lina, is that...?" Gourry whispered.

"Yeah... It is."

"This... this has gone far enough!" Jetta panted. "I thought you were my sister... but... y-you are nothing but a... a... a monster!"

Marielle gave Jetta a sceptical look. "Come now, Jetta..." she murmured calmly. "...just put down the jar..."

"NO! I will not! I'm done with this! This is not what I wanted! This is not what I wished for! All these years that I have been lied to... I JUST WANT THIS NIGHTMARE TO BE OVER!"

"JETTA, DON'T DO IT!" Lina saw what was about to happen, and tried to stop it, but it was already too late. Jetta took the jar and tossed it to the ground, smashing it into tiny pieces. Both Jetta and Marielle screamed as they were engulfed in a cloud of magical energy.

"Wh-what's happening?" Gourry murmured, pulling Lina closer.

Lina grimaced in dismay at the scene before them."That jar was the connection for Shabranigdo's power to be transferred from Jetta to Marielle... and now that it's been severed, the power of the Demon King will return to Jetta... and we'll have to destroy her."

* * *

><p>(AN: Okay, okay, I didn't forget about Amelia and Zel! Their scenario will be explained in the next chapter, I promise! Oh, and you see the shiny new cover image? Yeah! XD ...it's shinier in real life, but my scanner seems to hate coloured pencil with a passion for some reason…)


	30. The true puppeteer!

The penultimate chapter! Yeah! The beginning jumps back a bit, just to let you know what happened between Amelia, Zel, and Jetta during that time, so hopefully that won't confuse anyone! As usual, I don't own anything pertaining to Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Do enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>30- The true puppeteer! Who's been pulling the strings?<strong>

"Amelia! Zel!" Lina screamed. "Marielle, what did you-"

"I negated the effects of Xellos' spell, of course! I outrank him!"

Lina clenched her teeth angrily. "I think that's a stretch! FIREBALL!"

Marielle countered the Fireball with a dark energy ball of her own, which created an enormous explosion. The walls around them shook, and the force of the blast radiated in all directions, tearing through walls and sending people and furniture flying.

Amelia clung to Zelgadis as they were blown away by the explosion. She opened her eyes and found that they were in an adjacent corridor, pulled out of the way of the blast. Jetta stared at her, with an expression of panic on her face.

"Miss Jetta, did you-"

"I had to get you out of the way of the blast somehow... I-Is he going to be alright?"

Amelia gasped, jumping to her feet. The spiral of dark magic that had surrounded Zelgadis just before the explosion had escalated to the point that she could barely see him anymore.

"Does he LOOK like he's going to be alright?" she snapped. "Oh no, no, no... the book... I lost the book in the explosion..." She turned around, searching frantically, but it wasn't anywhere in sight. "There's no time... no time... I have to cast the spell from memory- it's the only way!"

"Can I help?" Jetta murmured.

"Stand back, Miss Jetta. If I don't cast this correctly, there's no telling what might happen- but, if I don't cast it at all, he's going to die!"

Jetta stepped a short distance back, fearfully watching as Amelia raised her hands and began the incantation. She did her best not to stumble over the words as the white magic materialized and surrounded the vortex of chaos magic.

Jetta cringed as the two magics reacted violently with one another. She could feel the force generated by the reaction, and wondered how Amelia could bear to stand so close. Yet she stood there, her palms outstretched, trying her hardest to channel the white magic into the spiralling system as much as she could.

Finally, with a blast of light and force enough to make Amelia lose her footing and stumble, the entire vortex dissipated completely. Already long unconscious by this point, Zelgadis was left slumped on the floor, intact... for the most part, anyway.

Amelia paled sharply in horror when she saw him, and scrambled to get to his side as fast as possible. "...Zelgadis...?"

"He looks different..." Jetta murmured.

Amelia had often wondered what he might look like with normal skin that wasn't like rock, but she knew that she didn't want to find out _this_ way. This wasn't what she wanted at all.

It meant that she had failed.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia clasped his hand tightly, unable to keep from thinking how different it felt. "Come on... you've got to be alive- say something! Zelgadis, please!"

Jetta bit her lip, having trouble watching the scene. She didn't have much idea as to what had happened to the strange man, but whatever it was, it obviously wasn't good. She watched as Amelia placed her fingers over his wrist, checking for a pulse.

"I-Is he...?"

"He has a pulse! I think he's alive!" Amelia exclaimed. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him violently. "Zelgadis! Wake up!"

The chimera was unresponsive for a short amount of time, but after a moment, he began to come to, groaning wearily.

"...huh...? ...Amelia...?"

Amelia was so relieved, she looked as though she might cry. She threw her arms around him. "Oh, thank goodness! I was so scared... I was so sure that... you were..."

Zelgadis sat up, completely confused. They were still in the mansion, but it was partially in ruins. He could hear the sound of some sort of battle going on around the corner, but he couldn't see it, and wondered who was fighting who- and who was winning.

"Amelia, what just happened?" he murmured, placing a hand on her shoulder. It was at that point he noticed the change in his skin, and he yelped, jumping back a few steps, staring at his hand in disbelief. "Wha-wha-what did you do?"

"I don't know!" Amelia responded. "I cast the spell that was supposed to save you by keeping you a chimera, and so when I saw you like that, I thought that I had cast it too late-"

"You were _almost_ too late. Tsk, tsk, Miss Amelia, another split second and he wouldn't have survived. Cutting it a bit close, aren't we?"

Amelia and Zelgadis turned around in surprise.

"Xellos!"

"Mister Xellos!"

"What do you mean, another split second?" Zelgadis asked. "What happened to me?"

"Well, it's complicated." Xellos replied. "You see, when his body was being torn apart, it was being separated into the different parts, and once a like portion separated itself from the others, it would dissipate. As the rock golem was the most different of all the creatures that he was combined with, it was the first to separate and dissipate."

"So that's why he looks almost normal?" Amelia asked. "The golem in him is gone?"

Xellos nodded. "Then was the brau demon- and if that had completely dissipated then he would have certainly been killed. However, because Amelia channelled White Magic energy into the system before that happened, that caused the separation of the brau demon portion to stop where it was- about half of the demon that was originally part of him remains. Even though the golem and half of the demon portions are gone, the human and remaining demon portions can still be stabilized with one another if enough energy is put into the system. So, yes, you are still a chimera, just one with a different make-up than you were before. About ¾ths human and one-fourth demon."

Amelia and Zelgadis glanced at one another. "You do look mostly human." Amelia observed. "Well, except for the ears. But they don't look too demonic... you look more like a tall elf, or maybe a dragon. I think you look perfect, though, no matter what."

Zelgadis turned to Xellos, unfazed by Amelia's compliments. "So, how long will this last? How long will I be stable before the magic wears off?"

Xellos shrugged. "Well, it's Amelia who provided the magic that stabilized the system, so the magic shouldn't wear off so long as Amelia is alive."

Amelia smiled brightly. "Really?"

Xellos glanced around the corner. "Yes, but... there won't be much future for you if you don't help your friends fight Marielle..."

Jetta stiffened at the reminder. "M-Mister Xellos! Mister Zelgadis! Miss Amelia! I think I know how to end this fight- for good! But I need the jar..."

"You mean this jar?" Xellos chuckled, holding up the jar, offering it to the young woman. "I happened to grab this on my way here. I thought it would be important."

Jetta grabbed the jar quickly. "I'm going to end this." she declared firmly. "It's gone far enough."

Before any of them could stop her, she had run around the corner with the jar.

"M-Miss Jetta!" Amelia called.

"What is she going to do with that? She's not going to break it, is she? Does she have any idea what will happen if she-" Zelgadis was about to rush around the corner after her, but Xellos grabbed his arm.

"Now, now, what's the rush, Zelgadis?" he chided. "Shouldn't you be taking some time to get used to your new condition?"

"I wish we had time!" Zelgadis shot back. "But if she breaks that jar, then there's a chance that she could release the Demon King Shabranigdo-"

"You say that as though you thought I didn't know." Xellos replied. "What do you think I've been doing for the past several years working with Jetta and Marielle? You think I work part-time for them just for fun?"

The realization seemed to dawn on Zelgadis. "Th-then... The reason you kidnapped Amelia and Pokota to get us involved was so that we could-"

A loud pair of screams interrupted the conversation.

"Miss Jetta!" Amelia ran around the corner, followed by Zelgadis. Xellos stood, watching them go, with a smirk.

_Well, then... it looks as though we're about to find out just what decision the Demon Lord will make..._

* * *

><p>Both Jetta and Marielle screamed as they were engulfed in a cloud of magical energy.<p>

"Wh-what's happening?" Gourry murmured.

Lina grimaced in dismay at the scene before them."That jar was the connection for Shabranigdo's power to be transferred from Jetta to Marielle... and now that it's been severed, the power of the Demon King will return to Jetta... and we'll have to destroy her."

The swordsman clutched the sorceress tightly and they both watched in horror as the magical energy began to dissipate from the two 'sisters.' The doll dropped lifelessly to the ground, and Jetta fell to her knees, breathing heavily. Lina half-expected her to jump up, her eyes glowing red, ready to destroy all that existed, but she didn't.

It was the doll who moved first.

Marielle pulled herself to her feet, her one remaining eye glowing an eerie crimson. Jetta was regaining consciousness, and made a sort of squeaking noise in horror as she saw the scene before her.

"H-how is that even possible...? If the jar is broken, then she shouldn't be able to move... it was the connection with me that the jar provided the power for her to act in her own..."

"I don't get it!" Lina exclaimed. "How is she still moving? How is Jetta still herself?"

"Why, that's an easy question, Miss Lina. To put it simply, the Demon King _chose_ the doll over the human." Xellos spoke up from his perch amidst the rubble.

Lina blinked in surprise. "H-he... _what_?"

"Is it so surprising, Xellos? If I recall correctly, it was _you_ who once stressed to me the great importance of free will."

The voice sounded like Marielle, and then again, it didn't. It was coming from her body- or what remained of it, anyway- and it was still the heavily accented, high-pitched voice that they had grown to hate, but there was an extra dimension to it, as it was the Demon King now speaking through the voice.

Lina stood up and took a step forward, glaring at the doll sternly. "I get it now. The story suddenly makes sense. We had thought that Marielle was someone who was simply using the power of Shabranigdo... but in actuality, it was Shabranigdo who was using _her_." The sorceress raised her finger accusatively. "It's _you_ who has been pulling the strings this whole time, hasn't it, Demon Lord Shabranigdo?"

She was congratulated with that unnerving lop-sided smile. "Ah... the familiar face of the sorceress Lina Inverse. We really do have to stop meeting up like this- it isn't healthy for either of us."

"I see you haven't lost that wit you had when you were playing Marielle." Lina replied. "But I do agree- we ought to stop this."

"Well, perhaps we could have avoided it, if it hadn't been for Xellos getting the lot of you involved." Marielle-Shabranigdo turned and glared at the Mazoku. "I have to admit, I did honestly think he was on my side."

"He was, at least at first." Lina replied. "It took me a while to really figure out what happened, but I think I have a fairly good idea now. One of Jetta's brothers mentioned something about twins sharing a soul, and I didn't think much about it until just now. Pieces of the Demon Lord attach themselves to a human soul, but if that is shared between two humans, then the piece is also shared between the humans."

Naga gasped. "So, you mean that... Jetta and Marielle..."

"They did." Marielle-Shabranigdo confirmed. "The piece of my soul was shared between the two girls."

"So that would explain why they couldn't be separated without suffering ill effects!" Pokota exclaimed.

"Not just that, but it also prevented Shabranigdo's soul from awakening in either of them," Lina explained. "because it was separate from itself. Also, if one twin died before the other, then it would be disastrous as far as Shabranigdo was concerned."

"But Lina, one of them did die, and Shabernigdo is still here." Gourry pointed out.

"Sounds like you're as insightful as ever, my dear Gourry." Lina chuckled. "As a matter of fact, that's due to Rezo's influence."

"Ah, yes, the Red Priest... such an obedient worker..." Marielle-Shabranigdo murmured.

"Just as I thought." Lina spoke up again. "He wasn't doing anything for himself when he was dealing with Marielle and Jetta- it was Shabranigdo's influence. He killed Marielle in order to unite the two pieces of his soul in order to be released."

Jetta shrieked, and fell to her knees. "N-no! That's not true! It can't be! My sister died of smallpox- she wasn't murdered!"

"And I had friends that died of the Durum Plague." Pokota growled. "But just because what finished them off was a disease doesn't make it any less Rezo's fault. The intention was to kill them, and that's what he did."

"He did kill Marielle and trap the piece of Shabranigdo's soul in that Hellmaster's Jar so that it could be reunited with the piece in Jetta. But..." Lina murmured in response. "Rezo himself was still able to make himself known- it must have taken every bit of willpower that the real Rezo had left in order to overpower Shabranigdo in order to forbid Jetta from opening the jar."

"You mean that he tried to prevent Shabranigdo from awakening?" Naga asked.

"He did… but unluckily for him, Xellos decided to interfere." Lina replied.

"I was only speeding up the inevitable." Xellos offered. "After all, if you tell someone not to do something, they're obviously going to do it eventually. But… I didn't want the pain Jetta was feeling to wear off before that happened. It was that grief she felt that was important to awakening Lord Shabranigdo. However, her willpower was still too great for him to overcome, and her sole purpose of bringing her sister back to life led to the creation of that doll- which Shabranigdo quickly inhabited. From there, he began working to be brought back to life in the most unusual of ways… a way that I thought was extremely risky. So I stayed as a part-time employee to keep a watch on the whole thing."

"And that was Marielle's little 'experiment, right, Xellos?" Lina asked.

"Exactly. Because Lord Shabranigdo was broken into pieces, he cannot be revived without a human soul to feed off of. But, that soul has limitations, as the willpower of the human can corrupt the Demon Lord and cause him to be imperfectly revived. Therefore, Lord Shabranigdo wished to use this doll and create something akin to a human soul- but without the consciousness, so that he could have his full power and the free will to control it." Xellos replied.

"It was no easy feat, I'll give you that." Marielle-Shabranigdo replied.

Lina nodded. "But you had the perfect setup for it too- posing as Jetta's revived sister, you had her wrapped around your finger, so that she would do anything for you. And with Jetta's fortune that she inherited from her wealthy family, she could get you any_thing _or any_one _you wanted. And so, you started the illegal experiments that attempted to probe the secrets of the human soul in order to be revived perfectly. You had no qualms about killing off members of the Sorcerers' Guild in order to protect your secret project."

"They would have all perished inevitably." Marielle-Shabranigdo seemed a little unnerved that Lina had so easily uncovered all of his plans. "As you will too."

"I don't think so." Lina shook head, waving a finger tauntingly. "Because, you never did achieve what you wanted to. Despite all of your experiments with souls, the secret has still slipped through your fingers. And that's because your aim was impossible- you can't just _create _a soul. No one, be they a human or Mazoku, has the power to do that."

Marielle-Shabranigdo smirked. "But, I _do _have more power than all of you combined."

"Are you so sure?" Lina yelled. "I've had enough with this talking!"

In reply, Marielle-Shabranigdo sent out another barrage of whiplike magic, which wrapped around Lina and her friends. Lina tried to fire off a spell, but she was caught, and couldn't move.

"I wouldn't be so arrogant if I were you." Xellos warned, cutting the group free.

"Xellos? You're on our side?" Lina gasped.

"Well, this form in which Lord Shabranigdo has been resurrected, isn't what we were hoping for. He's incomplete- somewhat like the way the Demon King's ghost was brought back in Taforashia. I've been waiting to see if he would be perfectly resurrected… but he wasn't. In that form, he is limited, and therefore, corrupt. So that means that I've got to do the same thing I did in Taforashia- eliminate him!"

"You can try." The whiplike energy shot out and grabbed Xellos. He attempted to disappear to the astral side, but it pulled him back. "Don't underestimate me, Xellos!"

"Oh, trust me, I wasn't." Xellos used the energy attached to him as a channel, and attacked with a blast of energy through it. Marielle-Shabranigdo yelped and jumped back a few steps, releasing Xellos.

Seeing her chance, Lina couldn't let it go to waste. "FLARE ARROW!"

"FREEZE ARROW!" "ELMIKIA LANCE!" Naga and Pokota backed her up from across the field of rubble.

The doll had fallen to her knees, but she certainly wasn't out. She readied a massive blast of energy and began to fire it at the group. Lina didn't have time to fire another spell to block it, but she wasn't the only one fighting.

"RA TILT!"

The dual attack came from behind them, and knocked the doll off balance once again. Lina turned around with a smile.

"Zel! Amelia! Gosh, it's about time! I didn't think you two were ever going to sh- huh? _Zelgadis_?"

"No time for explanations!" Zelgadis yelled sternly. "You've got to think of something- and fast! If not, Shabranigdo is going to blow this place to pieces, and us with it! Amelia, and I will cover for you!"

Lina nodded, and grabbed Gourry by the arm, pulling him to the side, barely dodging an attack. "Pokota! Get over here!" she called through the commotion. As Xellos, Naga, Zelgadis, and Amelia kept Marielle-Shabranigdo busy, Lina, Gourry, and Pokota huddled to the side.

"Pokota, you said that this replica sword that you gave to Gourry was your most perfect replica, right? Meaning it can do everything that the original Sword of Light could do?"

Pokota frowned. "I think so, Lina. I mean-"

"I'm staking our _lives _on this, Pokota! I don't need you to _think_, I need you to _know!_" Lina exclaimed.

"Y-yes! Yes! I'm pretty sure it can!"

"Lina, what have you got up your sleeve this time?" Gourry murmured.

"It's crazy, and maybe a little bit backwards," Lina began. "but I think this might be just impossible enough to work."

* * *

><p>(AN: For those who have read the story 'Pathos,' it does take place after this story, and I intended to write this one first, I truly did, but… it didn't happen. Therefore, a lot of people were probably confused at the beginning of 'Pathos,' with the question of 'what happened to Zel?' And, finally, after a year-and-a-half, here's your answer. Agh, what a long time… I'm terrible… *sigh* But it's almost over, anyway! Lina has an idea!)


	31. Battle plans and future plans

Alright, _finally_. I don't think this needs much of an introduction by now. As always, I don't own anything pertaining to Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Do enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>31- Battle plans and future plans- Every ending is a new beginning!<strong>

"It's crazy, and maybe a little bit backwards," Lina began. "but I think this might be just impossible enough to work. Before, while fighting, I've seen a Dragon Slave fired at or into the Sword of Light… and the Sword of Light _absorbed _the power of the Dragon Slave."

"So, what you're saying is, that you shoot a Dragon Slave at me, and see if the sword will absorb the power?" Gourry asked.

"Yeah- but I don't want to fire a spell like that at you unless I know for sure that the weapon will absorb the spell so that it won't hurt you." Lina replied. "I know that the real Sword of Light could do it, but I'm not so sure it'll work with the replica. I've channelled a Ragna Blade into that replica before, _twice_, and while that seemed to work well enough to defeat Phibrizzo, I'm not sure if it's done any damage to the sword itself. If so, it could break apart, but if not, then we'd have a potent weapon using the power of both the Sword of Light and the Dragon Slave."

"But Lina, wouldn't attacking Shabranigdo with a weapon powered up by the Dragon Slave be pointless?" Pokota asked.

"No necessarily." Lina replied. "Y'see, the way I think is this- the Sword of Light is a Dark Star weapon, which draws on the user's spirit. Powered up by the power of the Demon Lord Shabranigdo, it should be potent against either of them because it mixes the two magics- sort of like magical fusion. If Gourry were to strike with that, while I threw in a Ragna Blade for good measure, I think we'd have him! You guys just have to cover for us so that we can get close enough to strike!"

"It does seem backwards… but just maybe…" Pokota murmured.

A few shrieks from their companions brought them to attention. "We can't just keep sitting around and talking like this! We've got to do something!" Lina exclaimed. "Hurry, Pokota! Go help them! Gourry and I will take care of the rest!"

Pokota stared at them for a moment, but nodded. "I really hope you know what you're doing, Lina…" He jumped back to join the fray. "Amelia! Quick! We have to do something to distract Shabranigdo!"

Amelia turned around quickly. "What? Where's Miss Lina and Mister Gourry?"

"They're preparing an attack! Lina has an idea, but it's crazy! Meanwhile, we've got to keep Shabranigdo away from the two of them!"

"You've got it!" Amelia smiled. She knew the perfect way to distract an enemy- her own personal method, of course.

"Shabranigdo, King of Darkness, your reign of terror will not prevail against the forces of goodness which you seek to destroy! Your plans have come to an end, and we are here to see that they are put to rest once and for all! Prepare to be destroyed by our Justice of love and joy and peace and happiness!"

"…and everything else." Zelgadis mumbled, not sure he wanted to be lumped in with the 'joy and happiness' group. Still, he met Amelia's gaze, and nodded, knowing what she had in mind.

Marielle-Shabranigdo had been listening to Amelia's speech in amusement, but suddenly became aware that the group was attacking once again.

"RA TILT!" Amelia and Zelgadis attacked together, causing Marielle-Shabranigdo to have to create a barrier to defend against the spell.

"Pokota, buddy!" Naga whispered. "Back me up! Double Freeze-Arrow!"

"Right!" Pokota nodded, and combined his attack with hers.

"FREEZE ARROW!"

Once again, Marielle-Shabranigdo shook off the spell as though it were nothing. He attempted to attack the humans who were firing all the spells, but Xellos kept getting in the way, doing his best to block the Demon Lord's attacks, in order to buy the group more time.

_Miss Lina, Mister Gourry… whatever you're doing, hurry up. I don't know how much longer we can keep this up… even if his power is limited within that doll, a Demon Lord is a Demon Lord, and he's more powerful than any of us…_

Lina and Gourry had ducked behind a pile of rubble, and were trying to figure out exactly what to do.

"Gourry, are you _sure _you're okay with this? If that replica doesn't hold up to the power of the Dragon Slave, then it'll blow you up with it."

"It's your plan, isn't it?" Gourry asked. "What choice do I have?"

"Well, we could still try a combination of the Ragna Blade and the Sword of Light- separately, of course. But, the thing is, it's so difficult to get close enough to attack, that I'd never be able to get in with a Ragna Blade in time. What I want to do is to power up the Sword of Light so that we can both get close, and, while you're striking with the sword, I'll quickly cast a Ragna Blade and finish off Shabranigdo with that."

Gourry stared blankly for a moment, taking it all in, and then nodded. "So I've just got to get the two of us in close, and then I'll strike first and you'll strike second. Is that it?"

"That's right." Lina nodded. "C'mon! It's now or never!"

Gourry stood up and clenched the sword in his hands. "Light, come forth!" he called, and watched as the blade materialised. Lina fixed her gaze on the sword, and began the amplification spell.

"_Lords of Darkness of the four worlds… on thy bonds I do swear… grant me all the power you possess…_"

Lina's incantation caught Marielle-Shabranigdo's attention, and Xellos had to fire a particularly powerful attack to distract the Demon Lord. It would take a lot out of him, but Marielle-Shabranigdo would be forced to turn his attention to the Mazoku, allowing Lina and Gourry to finish their plan.

"_Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…_" Lina began, while Gourry braced himself to handle the power of the Sword of Light and the Dragon Slave.

Xellos cringed, as he saw that his attack hadn't bought them nearly enough time as he'd thought it would, as Marielle-Shabranigdo turned back to Lina. He stumbled backwards, grasping his staff for support.

"Mister Xellos! Are you alright?" Naga gasped.

"I'm fine; I just need a minute." the Mazoku replied. "You've got to keep Shabranigdo away from them, though!"

The others nodded, and continued firing attacks, though Marielle-Shabranigdo still continued to focus on Lina.

"…_before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand…_"

"Doesn't she know that spell is useless?" Marielle-Shabranigdo murmured, watching with rapt curiosity. "Has she lost it?"

"_Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess! DRAGON SLAVE!"_

Lina cringed as she released the power toward the Sword of Light. "…c'mon, Pokota… your replica has to stand up to this…"

The power of the Dragon Slave swirled around the sword, and was absorbed into the light of the blade. It burst forth with such power, that, for a second, Gourry was sure it wasn't going to hold. But, the sword and the magic had fused perfectly, and the blade was strengthened by the Black Magic into an inferno of light.

Lina didn't even have time to smile in relief that it had worked. "Gourry! Now!"

Gourry took the sword in one hand, and grabbed Lina's hand with the other. The two of them plunged toward the Demon Lord together, with the powered-up Sword of Light leading the way.

"Idiots…" Marielle-Shabranigdo murmured, creating a wall in front of them to block their passage.

"Oh no, you don't!" Lina grinned, watching Gourry slice through the barrier with ease.

The doll seemed so stunned that they made it through the barrier, that she didn't even have time to react. Lina began to chant as she and Gourry grew closer to the figure.

"_Lord of dreams that terrify… sword of cold and darkness… free yourself from the heaven's bonds… become one with my power, one with my body-"_

"Oh no, _you _don't!"

Before Lina or Gourry were able to strike, Marielle-Shabranigdo sent out a blast of energy that wrapped itself around Lina's hands, cutting off her spell and tossing her in the opposite direction.

"Lina!" Gourry turned away from his offensive position and went after her. Lina screamed as she was thrown across the rubble, however, before she got too far away, she was caught in mid-air by the back of her cape.

"P-Pokota?"

"Can't have your plan backfiring on us, now can we?" Pokota grinned at her. "I'd start that incantation again, if I were you. Get Gourry to clear you a path again, and I'll get you the rest of the way there."

"I've got a better idea." Lina argued. "Toss me back to Gourry, will you? We're going to try this again- but this time, even Shabranigdo won't be able to stop us."

Pokota frowned, but nodded anyway. "I hope you know what you're doing." he murmured. "Gourry! Here!"

The stuffed animal tossed Lina back towards the swordsman, who quickly threw the sword to one hand in order to catch the sorceress with the other.

Amelia, Zelgadis, and Naga were still throwing attacks at Marielle-Shabranigdo, to keep the magic from reaching Lina and Gourry as they regrouped their attack, but things weren't exactly looking good for them if they had to keep it up too much longer. Zelgadis eyed the two. "…they're not trying the same thing again, are they…?"

"Lina, what are we doing now?" Gourry asked, regaining his grip on his sword, now that Lina was safely on the ground.

She placed her hands on top of his, also gripping the hilt of the sword. "We do the same thing we did earlier- except, this time, we're going in together. You lead the way!"

Gourry figured that he ought to trust her, as she seemed to know what she was doing, and nodded.

"Haven't you fools tried that approach enough? It's the definition of stupidity to try the same thing over and over and expect different results!" Marielle-Shabranigdo chided, doing his best to fend the two off. However, the powered-up Sword of Light was still able to cut through all of the barriers in its path. As Gourry led the way, slashing through magic barriers left and right, Lina followed, doing her best to keep her hands over his, channelling her magic into the sword.

"_Lord of the dreams that terrify, sword of cold and darkness, free yourself from the heaven´s bonds… Become one with my power, one with my body, and let us walk the path of destruction together!_"

Gourry easily saw what Lina was doing. "Lina, do you really think the sword can hold the power of a Dragon Slave _and _a Ragna Blade together?"

"That's what I'm counting on!" Lina shot back._ "Power that can smash even the souls of the Gods,  
>"RAGNA BLADE!"<em>

With the last words of the incantation chanted, the chaos magic surged through the sword, and Gourry and Lina closed the distance between themselves and the doll.

"…a replica of Gorun Nova, my own power, and the power of the Lord of Nightmares, all in _one_?" the Demon Lord murmured. "That's… that's… impossible…"

Just it was said, the sword struck its target, slicing through the magic surrounding the doll with ease, and tearing through the astral presence of the Demon Lord himself.

The explosion rocked the whole area, creating a flash of light and an immense shock wave. Amelia dove into Zelgadis' arms, and he and Pokota created a shield around the four of them.

"Are Lina and Gourry okay?" Naga gasped, unable to see through the smoke created by the explosion.

"I hope so…" Amelia murmured, clutching Zelgadis a little tighter.

A few minutes passed, and finally, the smoke subsided.

Lina and Gourry were left in the epicenter, clinging to one another. The blade of the replica Sword of Light had dissipated, leaving just the crater to show how much power had once been coursing through it. Lina pulled herself from Gourry's side, and looked around.

"…hey, we're alive…" she observed bluntly. "I didn't think there was time to create a barrier before all that power was released, but I guess we survived it… somehow…"

"Well, of course you did, Miss Lina. I couldn't let you or Mister Gourry be harmed. That would make my superiors very unhappy."

Lina turned to the Mazoku in surprise. "Xellos? You're the one who protected us from the blast?"

"Oh, just doing my job." Xellos chimed in return. "As I told Mister Zelgadis and Miss Amelia earlier, I am charged with the safekeeping of you and your friends- especially you and Mister Gourry, now that the two of you are married, or so I hear."

Lina narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, Xellos? Why should our marital status have anything to do with you?"

Xellos chuckled. "Well, _obviously_, it means that there is a much better chance for the potential that you two could produce some sort of magic-wielding progeny that could be useful to the Mazoku in the future."_  
><em>Lina's face went red. "Th-the potential that we could _WHAT?_"

"M-Miss Lina! Mister Gourry! You're alright!" Amelia had good timing as she interrupted Lina and Xellos' conversation before it could take a turn for the worst.

"You guys!" Lina smiled as she greeted their friends. "Hey, Pokota, nice job! Your replica held a Dragon Slave _and _a Ragna Blade. I'd say that's pretty good workmanship right there!"

"Well, I did say that it was my best replica." Pokota chuckled nervously.

Gourry tapped the hilt of the sword. "Well, it doesn't look like I'll be able to get it to work for quite a while until it recharges or whatever… but I don't think that'll be a problem.

"Why? Is Marielle… dead?" Naga exclaimed.

Xellos stepped forward. "Well, 'Marielle' has been dead for years. But… the Demon Lord Shabranigdo- at least, the piece sealed within that doll- is also no more."

"Good. That's how it should be." Zelgadis murmured, examining the rubble underfoot. "With that doll destroyed, she won't be hurting any more innocent people."

"And _you_, Mister," Lina growled, reaching out and pulling on Zelgadis' cheek. "have a _lot _of explaining to do!"

"O-ow! Hey! I get it, Lina! I know!" Zelgadis growled, pulling away and rubbing his cheek in pain. "Ah, now that's a pain I haven't felt in a while…"

"Yeah! Weren't you supposed to be killed if the pieces of your chimeric body were separated?" Pokota asked, jumping onto his head. "I mean, I'm glad to see that you're alright and everything, but what happened?"

"It's… complicated." Zelgadis groaned. "Look, I'll explain it later. For now, we'd better figure out how to get out of here, and… uh…"

The group heard a small sound, and turned around. Jetta had approached the group, looking terrified and relieved at the same time.

"Is… is she…?"

"She is gone." Lina nodded solemnly.

There was a long moment of silence, and a melancholic smile spread across the young woman's face. "…thank you…" she murmured softly. "…I don't know… how I'll ever repay you… all these years, I was so lost… chasing after an evil that I thought was my family…"

Lina considered asking for a reward, but decided against it. Jetta had been through too much already. The sorceress stepped forward, and put a hand on Jetta's shoulder.

"No need for a reward. Not for this."

Jetta's shoulders trembled, and she reached out, throwing her arms around Lina. The sorceress returned the gesture, staying still to let Jetta cry on her shoulder. Lina wasn't normally one for sappy, emotional scenes, but somehow, it felt right. It felt as though all of the madness had finally come to a close.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Gourry glance over to the side, and her eyes traced his gaze. There, amidst the rubble from the battle, the figure of a little girl stood, watching the scene, her blue eyes fixed on the young woman who was crying on Lina's shoulder. She turned to smile at Gourry, and then at Lina, and softly mouthed the words '_thank you_' before disappearing into the night.

Lina and Gourry glanced at each other, and smiled back.

That was one promise fulfilled.

Now, there was one more left.

* * *

><p>Lucas and Kasper Arcarti were beyond overjoyed to be reunited with their long-lost sister, who acted at the reunion much in the same way she had after the battle, hugging her brothers, sobbing profusely. It was a heart-warming moment, and Naga and Amelia cried. Lina, herself, might have shed a tear or two, but, if she did, Gourry was the only one who saw it, and he wasn't telling anyone.<p>

After spending much of the day with Jetta and her brothers, helping to collect what she had from the rubble of the mansion she had once inhabited, and move it to her new home with her surviving family, evening was beginning to fall, and Amelia, Pokota, Gourry, and Zelgadis had gathered on the back porch of the Seyruun family's summer home. The fatigue from their sleepless night was beginning to set in, but they hadn't fallen asleep yet. Lina and Naga were both inside. The group knew that Lina was in the library, while Naga said that she would be outside in a few minutes.

"It's hard to believe…" Amelia murmured, leaning on Zelgadis' shoulder. "…that just yesterday, we were out here planning a wedding. It seems so long ago."

"It does, doesn't it?" Pokota chuckled. "Hey, Gourry, tell your wife to get out here, or else she's going to miss your 1-day anniversary."

Amelia and Zelgadis weren't sure what to make of the comment, however, when both Gourry and Pokota started laughing, it was obvious that it was a joke. Amelia chuckled along with them.

"I wouldn't worry too much. Miss Lina and Mister Gourry will have plenty of anniversaries to celebrate in the future."

"The future seems to be an awfully popular thing to think about." Zelgadis mused. "Just yesterday, I didn't think I had one."

"But you do." Amelia smiled up at him. "And it's going to be bright and wonderful- and we'll spend it together."

Zelgadis allowed himself a small smile before he caught himself and straightened up, clearing his throat. "Erm, well, anyway… speaking of the future, what are our plans for tomorrow? I know that Amelia and I need to get to Seyruun as quickly as possible, to make sure everyone knows that she's safe."

"Good idea!" Naga popped out of the house with a large travelling bag thrown over her shoulder.

"Gracia! What's that bag for?" Amelia asked. "You're not leaving now, are you? What about getting some sleep?"

Naga grinned. "Oh, I'm not tired! I took a long nap while everyone else was busy moving things! Remember? OHOHOHOHO~!"

"That's right, you slacker, you did." Pokota scolded. "Thanks a _lot _for all the help."

"Oh, don't be so sarcastic, little Pokota buddy." Naga chided. "It's not good for you."

"Says who?"

"But, anyway, what are your and Lina's plans, Gourry?" Zelgadis interrupted, continuing the conversation from where he had left off.

"Oh, us?" Gourry asked. "Well, Lina suggested that we ought to head back to Seyruun with you guys. We'll spend some time with Zara and help you guys prepare for your wedding."

"No honeymoon?" Naga asked, sounding disappointed.

"Lina said that there would be plenty of time after Amelia and Zel's wedding for that." Gourry responded. "We're not in any hurry to settle down or anything, so the open road will always be there. It might be nice to have a little place to call home, but I don't think either of us could ever get used to staying in one place for too long."

"A little place to call home, hmm?" Naga murmured. She paused, and pulled Amelia to the side, much to her sister's confusion.

"Gracia, what are you-"

"Listen, Amelia," Naga whispered. "does Philio- I mean, _Dad_- have any plans for this house? Is he planning to sell it or what?"

"I don't know." Amelia whispered back. "There had been talk of selling it, but Dad wanted it to stay in the family, or at least with friends, and none of our family or close friends wanted to buy it. We never use it, and it's getting to be such a hassle to keep up, there was talk that they might give it to you, since you were out travelling the world, but we could never contact you about it."

"So… it's mine?" Naga asked curiously.

"Well, that depends on what you want to do with it. Dad definitely says that he wants it to stay with family or friends-"

"So, how close is the royal family to Lina and Gourry? Would they be considered 'friends?" Naga asked. "Because… I just had an idea for a _perfect _wedding present from me… if 'Dad' would approve, of course."

Amelia's expression broke into a smile as she heard her sister's plan. "Oh, Gracia…"

"Hey, everyone!"

Lina appeared on the porch, with a big smile on her face, and a large stack of books and maps in her hands. She set the stack down on the porch railing, in between Gourry and Pokota.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what is all that?" Pokota questioned.

"What do you think?" Lina asked with a wink. "Honeymoon plans, of course!"

"All that?" Gourry asked, looking at the books in surprise.

"Well, there's just a little bit of information here and there…" Lina replied, flipping through the books. "See, here in the north-western corner of Dils, there is a legend about a cove where pirates once hid a great treasure… and over here, in the forests of Kalmaart, there is an old legend about fairies and a hidden cave of crystals unlike anything else in the world-"

"Lina, are these 'honeymoon plans' just more excuses to go treasure hunting?" Gourry raised an eyebrow. "That's not exactly most people's idea of a romantic vacation."

"But Gourry~" Lina exclaimed, grabbing his hands and pulling him closer. "of course it's romantic! What could be more romantic than risking our lives together, searching for untold riches, staying by one another's side despite any traps or dangers that we are faced with…?"

Lina was just in it for the treasure, and everyone knew it, but it didn't really matter all that much. Gourry sighed, and put his hand on Lina's head, tousling her hair gently.

"Whatever makes you happy, Lina. I'll just be glad to be there with you."

"Yes! Thank you, Gourry! You're the best husband ever!" Lina squealed, giving him a quick hug and then dashing back over to her books. "Now, let's see… about that cove in Dils… it's more dangerous to navigate around the bay in a small vessel, but that would give us a much better chance of finding the entrance…"

"I've got to head back to Taforashia first thing in the morning." Pokota said. "I wrote to them when Amelia and I got out of the mansion, letting them know that I was alright, and that I'd be home soon, but I can't delay getting back any longer."

Amelia nodded. "I understand. You're coming to our wedding, aren't you?" She grabbed Zelgadis' arm again.

"I already told you, I'll definitely be there." Pokota grinned.

"I will too. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Naga said. "But, for now, I have to get back on the road."

"W-wait! You're not coming back to Seyruun with us?" Amelia gasped. Naga shook her head, and Amelia continued in protest. "But Gracia-"

"Amelia, I love you, and I love the rest of our family, but I can't go back to Seyruun- at least not for good." Naga sighed. "Seeing you and Zelgadis has been wonderful, and it makes me so glad that you've finally found your prince. But it's also a reminder that mine is still out there somewhere, and I have to find him." She chuckled softly. "I mean, if even Lina Inverse can find a lover, there must be one out there for me, somewhere! Preferably a tall, dark, and handsome someone who is incredibly intelligent, with a witty personality and great hair, and-"

"Don't push it." Lina groaned.

"_Anyway_," Naga continued, glaring at Lina. "that's why I have to leave, and right away. If I don't get myself back on the road, I might miss something, and I want to be ready to meet fate head-on. I'll write all the time, and I'll see you very soon, I promise. But I have to go now."

Amelia gave a solemn nod. "I understand. I'll miss you, Gracia. It's been wonderful having you around. I love you."

The two sisters exchanged a tight hug. "I love you too, Amelia." Naga said. "And thank you for everything. If it wasn't for you and your friends, I might still be working for that little Demon Lord of a girl. I owe you guys."

Naga broke away from the hug and turned to Zelgadis. "I'll see you soon too, Zelgadis." He reached out his hand to shake, but Naga pulled him into a hug instead. "Oh, I can't wait! I'm going to have you as a brother-in-law! I'm so glad that you're not dead!"

"…uh, thank you?" Zelgadis wasn't exactly sure how to follow that. He figured it must be a compliment, so thanks might be in order… then again, they might not.

Naga turned back to Lina and Gourry. "Well, Lina Inverse, my greatest rival, it has been a fun time catching up with you. You've grown up a bit from that scrawny little girl I once knew… though, you've certainly still got the flat chest-"

"NAGA! I will _hurt _you!"

"OHOHOHO~!" Naga laughed as she watched Gourry attempted to restrain Lina. "But at least there's a man who is nice enough to accept you, flat chest and all. It's been a pleasure to meet you, Gourry. I can't wait to see you too again, someday." She laughed a bit more and then added, "and next time I come visit, I want you guys to have lots of little kids for me to play with~!"

"Okay." Gourry just waved, somewhat oblivious to what Naga had just said.

"Wh-what?" Lina gasped, her face turning red. "_Okay? _Did you just say 'okay?' You don't just say 'okay' to a statement like that, Gourry!"

Naga smiled as she watched the sorceress attempting to strangle her new husband, as some sort of punishment, though Gourry looked more amused than in any kind of pain. She stopped at the edge of the porch to give one last goodbye before she left.

Pokota extended a hand to shake. "Goodbye, Naga. It's been nice getting to know you. I, uh… well… um… y-you're always welcome to visit Taforashia, whenever you want! Come by sometime, just to say hi… y'know, if you ever have time, and are bored, or-"

"Oh, Pokota~!" Naga grabbed Pokota into a big hug. "I'm going to miss you so much, my little Pokota buddy! We'll have to keep in touch, okay?" She twirled around with the stuffed animal for a moment, and then kissed him on the cheek before tossing him back toward the ground. He was too stunned to do anything, and landed on his head.

"Ow! Uh… bye…" was all he could manage.

"Bye, everyone! I'll see you all again, soon! OHOHOHOHO~!" The sound of Naga's laughter echoed through the area until it slowly disappeared.

Amelia giggled slightly as she watched her friends. Lina was still yelling at Gourry for his casual response to Naga's farewell, and Pokota was still trying to make sense of what had happened.

She rested her head on Zelgadis' arm. "I guess… tomorrow starts a new beginning for all of us."

"I guess so." Zelgadis nodded. "After all, every ending has to be followed by a new beginning. Funny how that works, isn't it?"

A few steady blue lights amidst the flashing yellow glows of fireflies made their way around the backyard, and, for the first time that day, everything was quiet at last.

Or, at least, for a moment, anyway.

With Lina and her friends around, it isn't easy to keep things quiet, after all. But that's just how things should be, right?

**~The End~**

* * *

><p>(AN: Agh… over a year of writing, almost a year of posting chapters, and one rewrite later, I didn't let this story beat me! I'm just… so glad that it's over. For all of you guys who have read this far, you guys are awesome… I really have no words! There are so many other things you could have been doing with your time, I'm honoured that you would spend it reading this story. Thank you guys for all the feedback and comments you've given me- I appreciate it so very much! ^_^)


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